Crossed
by Confession68
Summary: COMPLETE. The Straw-hats run across an enemy who is unlike any other. What happens when this obviously insane man decides Nami would be of perfect use for him? Can the Straw-hats and the six marines find a way to defeat him or will he prevail? LuNa.
1. Chapter 1: Crossed Paths

Crossed

**Author's Note: **This is a story that my husband gave me the plot bunny for! I thought, 'Awesome idea!! XD'. So, I started typing it! So basically, it's my husband's story, it's just I'm the one writing it and adding the meat! XD I hope you all like it! 8D Please review!

**Crossed**

**Chapter 1: Crossed Paths**

"Stop!!" The marine captain yelled as he gave chase.

'_Yeah, right! Like I'm going to do that! I need some space, or I can't do it!!_' The man thought as he continued to run. He had to get as far away as he possibly could. He bumped into many people as he ran. He used a lot of them to block the path of his pursuers. He turned a corner and continued to run. Suddenly, a slim figure slid out from an alley and tripped him. He screamed as he hit the ground hard. He grunted when his chin came into contact with the concrete.

The slim figured grabbed him by his shirt and punched him. "Thought we would let someone like you get away?" The marine lieutenant said.

"Good job!" The marine captain said.

"Of course!" The lieutenant exclaimed as she winked at him. He grinned back. "You could have caught him easily. Why didn't you?"

"Too many people. I didn't want anyone to get hurt." He explained. She smiled warmly at him.

"O-i!!"

They both turned and smiled. "You…got…him…" the petty officer first class said as he panted out of breath.

"Of course we did…We always-Oi!!" She yelled as the man shoved her and continued to run.

He turned a corner. '_I have to do it now!_' "Dimensional Cross Portal!" He cried as he held his arms out. A portal appeared in front of him and he jumped through and kept running.

"Follow him!!" The captain yelled.

All six jumped in after him without hesitation. They landed on the other side and immediately ran after him. He turned a corner and kept running. '_Damn! They followed me!!_' He thought as he pushed past many people.

A lone man had seen the portal opening and the man run out. His eyes slightly widened as the group of six came pouring out as well. Curious, he decided to follow them all. It didn't take much brain power to figure out what that portal was. He needed to find out more about this man.

The fleeing man found more distance as he held out his arms. "Dimensional Cross Portal!!" He yelled again as he jumped through and kept running. The group of six turned the corner.

"Hurry! It's closing!!" The lieutenant commander yelled. Then all six jumped in again.

The lone man slowly walked up to the closing portal and smirked. "This looks interesting…" He said as he casually stepped through.

Everyone landed inelegantly and with grunts. The man they were chasing jumped over the side of the rail and continued to run.

'_I need to get far away from them!_' He thought as he continued to run and then looked around. "I can stay here for awhile. I've used up way too much power…I need to rest…" He said aloud as he continued to run.

The six tried to untangle themselves. The captain untangled himself first and ran up to the rail, looking over the side. "Damn it!!" He yelled. He could no longer see their target.

"Damn…How are we supposed to get back now?" The lieutenant commander said.

"Itee...That really hurt!" The petty officer first class whined.

"Quit you're complaining!!" The lieutenant yelled.

"Uh…can you all get off of me…?" The corporal said.

"I'm trying to!" The sergeant major yelled.

Usopp made his way on deck and froze. "M-m-m…_marines_!!" He cried as he pointed to the six on deck.

All six immediately turned to the voice and gasped collectively. Then Usopp's jaw hit the deck. The crew came running out from different parts of the ship.

"Where?!" Luffy yelled and then stopped in his tracks, Nami running into him from his sudden halt.

"Oi, Luffy, why did you s-s…" She started before she looked towards the six marines. Then she screamed. "Ky-a!!"

"What the…" Zoro started as his eyes opened wide and his jaw dropped.

The six stared at the eight who were staring at them. They looked surprised, but not nearly as surprised as the crew of the ship, Thousand Sunny. "Who…who are you?" Luffy asked.

The marine captain made a noise that was similar to a sigh as he closed his eyes. "I'm sorry for intruding on your…" He stopped what he was saying and looked around. Then his eyes widened. "P-P-_Pirates_?!" He yelled as he laid his eyes on the pirate flag flying above him.

"Eh?!" The five behind him exclaimed as they looked up at the Jolly Roger.

"That-That can't be…" The corporal exclaimed quietly.

The marine captain looked back towards Luffy. "You're…pirates…" He whispered.

"And you're marines!!" Luffy yelled as he pointed to them.

"What the hell is going on here?!" Zoro yelled.

Chopper was staring at the six with his mouth and eyes wide. "It's-It's-It's you guys!!" He yelled as he turned towards the others. "They look just like you!!"

The six standing before them were another Luffy, Nami, Zoro, Sanji, Usopp, and Coby. However, they were all dressed in marine attire. Luffy was wearing the usual marine Uniform with the captain's jacket. Nami was wearing a marine shirt with the tie, but a navy blue skirt with heals. She had her hair in a pony tail high up. Everyone else was wearing the standard marine uniform. Usopp wore his hair in a pony tail at his nape. He also wore the marine cap.

"E-h?!" The six marines yelled.

"It can talk!!" Marine Usopp yelled.

"Of course I can talk!!" Chopper yelled as he grew into heavy point.

"Ee!" The Marine Usopp screeched in fear as he and Coby embraced from their fear.

"Monkey D. Luffy…" The marine Luffy said as he took a step towards Luffy. "I don't have to assume you know who we are…I wouldn't try anything…or we might have to use force…"

Luffy straightened himself up. "I won't try anything and neither will my crew. There is no way we would hurt you…or your Nakama…" He replied as he grinned.

The marine Luffy looked relieved. Then he smiled in return. "Thank you…"

"Ne, Luffy…he seems…different…" Nami whispered.

"Aa…" Luffy agreed. Then he stepped forward and reached out a hand. "I guess…nice to meet you?" He said with his grin.

"Aa…same. I see you aren't what I thought a pirate would be…I guess I should have expected that…seeing as...you're me." The marine captain said with his own grin as he shook Luffy's hand.

"Aa!" Luffy agreed as he shook his own hand. The five behind the marine Luffy smiled. "Coby!" Luffy exclaimed as he turned to the sixth man.

"Ah! You know me?!" Coby asked as he pointed to himself.

"Aa! I met a Coby awhile back! We just saw him again too! He's a marine, but we are still friends!" Luffy explained.

"Ah, really?!" Coby replied with a smile.

"Aa!"

"Ne, Luffy…we need to find Dabara." The marine Nami whispered near his ear.

Marine Luffy turned his head towards Marine Nami. "Aa…maybe they can help us though. We don't know anything about this world." He said as he turned back to Luffy. Marine, Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp nodded in agreement. Coby also nodded.

"I guess you're right…" She replied as she looked towards the others. They all still looked like they were in shock. Then she looked at the three she didn't recognize. "Who…are these three? I've never seen them before in our world."

"Ah! This is Robin, Franky and Chopper!" Luffy replied who no longer seemed phased by them. "They are part of my crew!" He exclaimed as he laughed.

The six bowed stiffly. "Nice to meet you!" They all exclaimed.

"Wow…they really are different…" Usopp whispered to Chopper.

"Aa…" He agreed.

"It's nice to meet you too." Robin replied with her gentle voice.

"Mellorine!" Marine Sanji exclaimed with hearts in his eyes.

However, he immediately reverted back and cleared his throat as he stood at attention. Everyone looked at him slightly surprised. He had more self control than Sanji did. Nami eyed the marine Luffy. He looked and acted completely different from Luffy. His hair was combed for one, he didn't have a scar under his eye, and he seemed smarter and more disciplined.

"Perhaps we should tell you a little about ourselves, and what we are doing here. I have a feeling we can trust you." Marine Luffy said as he smiled at them.

"Aa." Luffy replied as he motioned them towards the dining area.

They all failed to notice the extra body that had hidden behind the mast. He grinned deviously as he over heard every word. "This is interesting…Very interesting…" He said as he looked around. "I think I like it here…Maybe there are some who can offer me what I desire…They will be an obstacle…but one I want to crush…" He said to himself as he began to laugh lowly and very unpleasantly. "Monkey D. Luffy…two…of them…Interesting…" He continued as he laughed again.

His grin widened more as he titled is head up and to the side. "They won't know what hit 'em…I need to find that guy who first came here…I could use him too…" He said as he made his way off the ship.

Walking into town, he then looked around. If there was one thing he was good at, it was tracking people. He developed this skill from constantly having to find strong people. Lifting his nose into the air, he began to sniff around. He had also trained his nose to be able to track people better by smell as well. He remembered exactly what that man smelled like. Jumping up high onto a roof, he then began to run, jumping from roof top to roof top. The smell was strongest here.

Jumping down, he landed in an alley way near his prey and walked over to the opening, waiting. He could hear the man's footsteps as they approached. Reaching out his hand, he immediately grabbed his prey, pulled him in, and then slammed him against the wall.

Dabara cried out in surprise. "W-W-What do you want?!" He yelled and then he looked at who had a hold of him. "Y-Y-You!!"

"That's right…I saw your little portal trick. I followed you here from the last world. Why were you running from those marines?"

"I'm not telling you a thing!! You're probably just like them!!"

Suddenly and swiftly, the lone man quickly jabbed his fist into Dabara's stomach, which caused him to cry out from the pain of it.

"Answer my question." The lone man said in a very low voice.

"I'm not telling you a thing…" Dabara wheezed. The lone man then slammed his fist into Dabara's face multiple times. He cried out in pain as blood spewed from his mouth.

"I said answer my question." The lone man demanded in a very low and deathly serious tone. "If you refuse…I won't hesitate to kill you…" He continued close to his ear.

Dabara looked up at this man in disbelief. "Are you really…?" He started before he found another fist in his gut. He cried out again as he coughed up blood. He wasn't sure how much longer he could take of this brutal beating.

"See…now that's just rude…You answer the question asked of you before asking your own question. Now, I will be nice and ask you one more time. Why were you running from those marines?" He asked with some amusement in his voice and a slight chuckle.

"Alright…I-I'll tell you…I…I tried to get rid of him…He ruined our plans…We were on to a huge heist…We were going to hide the stash in another dimension…He…stopped us…I wanted revenge, but he was too strong…" He explained as he coughed up more blood.

The lone man slowly smirked. "I'll tell you what…you stick with me and do as I say, and I will take care of him for you. I will also throw in a bonus and take care of the other one. You will take me to different dimensions so I can keep fighting strong opponents when I'm done with the current world. I will give you as much money as you want. Deal?"

"Another one?! There's another one?" Dabara asked in disbelief.

"Aa…that's right."

Dabara looked up at him in disbelief. "Can-Can you really defeat them both?"

He smirked. "Of course I can…"

"Alright…you've got a deal…" Dabara replied as he grinned.

"I'm going to go check them out. I didn't get a good look at them. If they aren't strong enough for me now to pose enough of a challenge…I will come back for them…" He said as he let go of Dabara's shirt. Dabar then slid to the ground. "Find us a ship and some supplies. I don't care how you get it." He said as he walked out of the alley way.

Dabara watched the man walk out of the alley way and turn the corner. He still couldn't believe what just happened. He slowly stood up. '_I better find that ship and supplies._' He thought as he stumbled out of the alley way.

xxxx

Everyone sat around the table, bar and couch. Marine Luffy then turned to Luffy. "Well, I should start off saying, we are obviously from a different world than you. We were on pursuit of a man who can use an ability to cross through different dimensions."

"Eh? Is he an Akuma no Mi user?" Nami asked.

All six looked at her confused. "Akuma no Mi?" Marine Nami asked.

Everyone looked at them surprised. "I guess they don't have those in their world." Nami said.

"Aa…" Everyone agreed.

"No we don't have those. Some of us are just born with an ability." Marine Luffy explained.

"Eh, born with it?!" The crew exclaimed.

"Aa." Marine Luffy replied as he nodded.

"So…uh…Luffy…do you not have an ability?" Nami asked.

Marine Luffy made a small sound that could pass for laughter. "I guess this could pose a problem considering we are all the same people. How about we go by different names so we don't confuse ourselves? I will go by L…" He said. Then he motioned to each individual. "N will be my Nami, Z for Zoro, S for Sanji, and U for Usopp. Coby can just be Coby since he is the only one here." He said as he smiled.

Nami's eyes slightly widened. '_Wow…he really is smarter…Wait…'My'?_' She thought as she tilted her head slightly. The six with him all smiled and nodded in agreement.

"Sounds good! Shishishi! L!" Luffy said as he laughed.

Nami drooped a little as she narrowed her eyes. '_Why is our Luffy such an idiot?_'

"Also, to answer your question, yes, I do have one. I'm a rubber man. I was born that way."

"I see…born with it…" She replied. '_They are born with an ability. This is strange…_'

"Do you have one, Luffy?" L asked as he turned to Luffy.

"Aa…I'm a rubber man too, but I ate a fruit that made me like this." Luffy explained with a grin.

"Aa…I see." L replied.

"I have a question."

"Alright." L replied as he stared into Luffy's now serious face.

"Why are you marines?" He asked as he made a weird face.

'_Leave it to Luffy to wonder why he himself would be anything other than a pirate…_' Nami thought as she made the same face he was making. N looked from Luffy to Nami and then to Luffy and back to Nami again. She leaned her head to the side slightly with a small smile.

"I was going to ask you, what ever possessed you to be pirates?" L asked with a raised brow.

"It's been my dream since I was young! I will become Pirate King just like my hero!" Luffy exclaimed.

"Pirate King?" L asked. All six looked at him strangely. "Are you stupid?" he continued.

"E-h?!" Everyone but the six exclaimed. '_Did he just call himself…stupid?!_' Nami thought in shock.

"Oi, I'm not stupid!!" Luffy yelled as he slammed his hands on the table. "And you never answered my question! How did you get suckered into becoming a marine?!" He asked angrily.

"Oi, Luffy…calm down…" Nami whispered.

L smiled. "I followed my hero's footsteps as well."

Luffy's expression turned confused. "Eh?"

"My Jii-chan is my hero."

"E-h?!" Everyone but the six exclaimed.

"My…J-J-Jii-chan?!" Luffy yelled in complete confusion.

"Aa. My Jii-chan saved my life and the life of many others. I promised him I would be just like him."

Everyone stared at him in surprise. Nami turned to Luffy. '_They had different upbringings…_'

"Once I was of age, my Jii-chan let me join the marines. I had been educated and disciplined since I can remember."

'_Educated?!_' Nami thought as her eyes widened. '_This Luffy is educated!_'

"What made you become a pirate?" L finally asked.

"My hero Shanks saved my life!" Luffy exclaimed, and then he slowly removed his hat. "I made a promise that I would become Pirate King and then return this hat." He said as he held it in his hand and looked at it.

"Wait…someone else gave you that hat?!"

"Aa…" Luffy replied as he looked at L.

"My-My Jii-chan gave me a hat just like that when I was little…That same hat I…made a promise with him that I would be a marine…"

"What?!" Everyone but the six exclaimed.

"Jii-chan…gave it to you?" Luffy asked in surprise.

"Aa…It's weird that someone else gave you that hat…" L said quietly.

"Aa … Where is yours?" Luffy asked as he placed the hat back on his head.

"I leave it on my ship … it's safe there." He replied.

Luffy placed a hand on his hat. "I take my treasure with me where ever I go …" he said quietly.

L smiled at him. "Shanks you said … I've heard of a man named Shanks … 'Red Haired' Shanks …"

"Aa! That's Shanks!" Luffy exclaimed as he grinned.

"That man is a pirate though … A very powerful one in my world …"

"Aa … He is the same here, but he's a good man. He saw me as his friend even though I was so young. I will never forget him." Luffy explained. L only smiled and nodded in understanding.

"Perhaps I should make some lunch. I'm sure you all must be hungry." Sanji suggested as he stood.

"Please, allow me to help." S said as he stood as well.

"Aa…I would be delighted." Sanji replied as he smiled. S smiled as the both made their way to the kitchen.

"Thank you." L said as he smiled at both Sanji's. Sanji turned to him with slight surprise before following S into the kitchen.

Everything he did seemed to surprise her. He was so different. "How did you all meet?" Nami asked curiously.

L turned to her and smiled. She sat up a little straighter. She had to fight a blush. It was a smile she had never even seen Luffy give her.

N spoke for him. "He saved all of our lives." She said as she turned to him and smiled warmly. Nami's eyes widened. L turned and gave her the same smile. '_Eh?!_' She thought.

"Luffy…saved all of ours too." Usopp said.

"Really?" N asked as she turned to Usopp and smiled wider.

"Aa…" He replied.

"Please…tell us how he saved all of you." She asked. Nami was surprised by her complete interest in how Luffy saved them all.

Nami told them how he had saved all of them. "Eh? Really? That's pretty much how L saved all of us!" N exclaimed in some amazement.

"Really?" Chopper asked with stars in his eyes.

"Although, he saved me more than a year ago. He came to my village when he was only sixteen. He had heard about our situation from the marine headquarters. So he came to free us. He wasn't afraid. He came with U and Z. He had found Z as he turned in a bounty. He had some how convinced him to join the marines. After that I also joined the marines. At L's request, we were all placed under his command. A few months after L's seventeenth birthday … We came across a pirate woman named Alvida. That's where we found Coby. He had a dream to become a marine. L never questioned his loyalty and also asked he be placed under him." explained N.

'_Wow … when he was only sixteen … It is just like Luffy to want to help someone he knows is in trouble …_' Nami thought as she looked from L to Luffy.

"We then found ourselves at a base where Captain Morgan was, but Z was already with us. After that we found U and saved his village. Then a little later we came across the Baratie and S. There was some trouble with the same pirate you all had trouble with, Don Krieg. After we defeated him, S joined as well. He has saved many other lives as well. He has also put away many pirates. Uh…no offense…" N continued with a nervous smile.

"None taken…" They all replied as they waved their hands in front of their faces.

"We never ran into Robin, Chopper, or Franky though." She said as she frowned.

"We may never have visited where they were." L said.

"We did run into a princess named Vivi-chan though." S said from the kitchen.

"Ah! Vivi-chwan!!" Sanji exclaimed with hearts in his eyes.

"Eh? You have met a Vivi as well?" N asked.

"Aa! We were able to save her kingdom from a man named Crocodile." Chopper explained.

"So did we!" U exclaimed.

"Wow…some is the same…and some is different." Usopp said in awe.

"Un…I wasn't saved until a few months ago…" Nami whispered.

"I'm sorry…" Luffy apologized with a slight frown.

Nami turned to him and smiled. "It's okay Luffy…You still did free me. That's all that matters." She said. He grinned at her.

"I don't mean to be nosey…but…are the two of you…you know?" N asked.

"Eh?!" Everyone exclaimed.

"N-N-No! Of course not!!" Nami yelled as she felt herself blush. All six looked surprised. Even S who was behind the counter cooking. "What?" Nami asked in confusion from their obviously confused stares. "Are-Are you?" She asked. She was almost afraid of the answer.

"Of course!" N replied as she smiled at L warmly and without hesitation.

"E-h?!" The crew exclaimed, Luffy and Nami being the loudest.

"What do you mean 'of course'?!" Nami yelled.

N laughed softly. "It was kind of hard not to fall in love with him." She said as she blushed prettily. "He did save me and my village. Not to mention he's a great person." She said as she turned and smiled at him. He smiled back. "Actually, we aren't just together. He's asked me to marry him about a month ago." She continued as she reached down her uniformed shirt and pulled out a golden chain. Hanging from it was a ring.

"What?!" The crew yelled, Sanji being the loudest.

Both Luffy and Nami stared at it wide eyed. "M-M-Marry?" Nami whispered in complete disbelief.

"Un!" N exclaimed as she nodded happily. Nami refused to look at Luffy. She had a feeling he was having the same problem. N put the ring back down her shirt. Then she smiled at them. "I think you two have the same chance. Don't be afraid or embarrassed." She said as she turned and smiled at Nami.

Nami felt her entire face turn red. "I don't think…I mean…It's not…" She stuttered.

S turned to Sanji and smiled. Sanji had tears waterfalling down his face. S patted him on the back roughly. "You'll get used to it." He said as he chuckled. "They were already together by the time they found me. I guess I have to say I feel for you." He said as he continued to cook. Sanji turned to him with his tears. S only grinned at him and chuckled.

The crew all turned and looked at both Luffy and Nami. Both still looked shocked. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make things uncomfortable for you!" N said as she stuck her tongue out.

"No…it's alright." Luffy replied as he grinned.

After both Sanji's finished cooking, they served up the food. The crew ate the way they usual eat, boisterously and with no manners. The marine crew watched them eat with wide eyes in amazement. Nami slapped her forehead. She had never felt embarrassed about their eating habits until now. L smiled nervously and then calmly began to eat. Nami turned to N who smiled nervously at him. She was suddenly jealous of herself. He actually had manners.

'_Marriage…_' She thought as she watched the two.

Then she looked at Luffy as he stuffed his face. A sweat bead formed on the side of her head. He just didn't seem like the type to ask anyone to marry him. She knew she felt grateful to him for what he did for her. It was something she thought about constantly. He always seemed to be fighting for them, protecting them, or saving them. Each time he had been willing to sacrifice himself for them. They always came out on top, but it didn't change the fact that he would give his life if it meant saving any one of theirs. She felt a small tug at her heart. Then she smiled.

After the meal, Luffy, Usopp and Chopper set about entertaining their new … 'guests'. At first, they all seemed bewildered and even confused by their sense of entertainment. However, after awhile, they were all laughing along with everyone else. Nami couldn't help but notice how much more reserved they all seemed compared to them. They were another class compared to them. Even the other Luffy was reserved in his laughter. After the entertainment, everyone went back out on deck.

"It's probably best we aren't seen together. We should leave the ship at separate times. We need to do some searching. I hope you don't mind." L said.

Nami shook her head. "Mmm … we don't mind. We understand how important this is to you." She said as she smiled.

He smiled in return. Nami's smile faded as she felt herself get nervous. '_He's so different…_' She thought to herself again. Then there was a loud noise. They all turned to see Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper in a pile on the deck laughing. S, Z, U and Coby were looking at them strangely. Nami made another face.

N approached her. "You shouldn't feel embarrassed." She whispered in Nami's ear. Nami gasped and turned to her. N was smiling at her. "I like that about Luffy. L isn't like that, but it's because of his training and discipline. I wouldn't mind it though. He is playful when it's just us though." She said as she blushed prettily again. Nami also felt herself blush as well. "So, I take it you are the navigator of the ship." She said turning to Nami again. L had gone over to the others and was just smiling at them as they played.

"Un…I am." Nami replied as she smiled at them all. Their laughter was nice. She no longer felt embarrassed because of N's words.

"Interesting…."

Everyone gasped or made a surprised noise as they turned to the familiar voice. Then their eyes widened. "A navigator, huh?" The lone man said standing on the rail.

"How did you…?" L asked as he stared up at him, the crews all running up next to Nami and N.

"Cool!" Luffy exclaimed with stars in his eyes. However, his grin faded.

The man standing on the rail smirked. Nami felt a shiver run down her spine. She didn't like his smile. Looking over at N, she realized she had the same reaction. She backed up until she was against L. Nami looked back up at him. She also felt herself instinctively back away from him. However, before she could get far. He stretched out his arm and grabbed her.

"Ky-a!" She screamed as she tried to get away. He pulled her too him and held her against him.

"Nami!!" Luffy yelled. "What-What are you doing?!"

The man's smirk widened. "I thought I would just take her…She would be of some use to me." He said as he turned to Nami. Then he chuckled low and deep. Nami felt another shiver run up and down her spine. She didn't like him … He looked and sounded the same … but … she didn't like him.

"Wait a minute … aren't … aren't you like us?!" L asked.

The third Luffy turned to him with the same smirk. "Like you …? From what I see … neither of you is like the other … The only thing the same … is your pathetic way of thinking …" He replied as he scoffed.

"What did you say?!" Luffy yelled, feeling himself getting angry.

The third Luffy turned back to Nami. "You see, I'm not very good at navigating and don't really care to learn. I need to get around this world. You will do that for me. I just need to find a ship." He said very close to her ear. Nami closed her eyes and had to suppress another shudder. She whimpered involuntarily, which caused him to chuckle. "Maybe you might have some other uses as well. I've never seen anyone so pretty." He said in amusement. Then to everyone's shock and dismay, their eyes widened as they watched this Luffy slowly lick Nami from jaw to temple. Nami cried out as she felt tears seep through her closed eyes and tried to pull away from him.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Sanji yelled.

"Oi, stop that!!" L yelled.

"Oh no …" N whispered as tears came to her eyes.

"You bastard …" Luffy seethed in a low, angry tone.

The obviously dark and evil Luffy chuckled at all of their reactions. Then he slowly turned to them. Luffy made a move towards him, which caused the darker Luffy to immediately grab Nami's throat. Nami cried out from the sudden action.

"I wouldn't move if I were you." He warned as his face turned serious. She was scared … She was scared of this Luffy.

Luffy stopped where he was and clenched his teeth. "Let her go …" He said through his clenched teeth.

"No … I don't think so. You see … I need her to accomplish what I want … I plan on defeating anyone who is strong. I've already defeated everyone who was remotely strong in my world … I'm glad I came across you and that man when I did. I was getting bored. I will give you time to become stronger. As you both are now … I know you can't defeat me. I'm not sure how I can tell, but I can. I'm sure you can both tell as well, that you are no match for me…"

Growling, Luffy lunged forward anyway, tackling both the new Luffy and Nami. "Aah!" Nami screamed as all three flew over the side.

Quickly reaching out, Luffy grabbed for Nami, trying to take him away from the other one before they hit the ground. However, the new one scowled, tossing Nami aside as he grabbed for Luffy, all three hitting the ground.

Nami cried out as did both Luffy's as they hit the ground hard. "Nami-san!"

"Nami!!"

The crew as well as L's ran to the railing right away. Luffy immediately got up, pulling the other Luffy by his vest, and then punched him in the face. "Bastard, don't you threaten my crew!" He yelled before punching him again.

"Luffy, wait!" L yelled before he quickly began the climb down.

Beginning to laugh, starting off low before he burst out in his amusement, the new Luffy grinned horribly up at him. "That all you got?" He asked before his expression turned into a scowl and then reached up to grab Luffy's head.

Pulling him down swiftly, he slammed his forehead into Luffy's. "Gah!" Luffy exclaimed as his head flew back. Swinging swiftly, the new Luffy slammed his fist into Luffy's face, sending him flying into Sunny. "Ga-ah!" Luffy cried out as he hit the ground hard.

"Luffy!"

"Oi, Luffy!" L cried as he jumped down the rest of the way. Then he turned a scowl to the other Luffy. "You bastard!"

"Bastard?! He started it!" The new Luffy exclaimed with a wide smirk in amusement as he pointed to Luffy.

Groaning, Luffy finally stood up. Smirking wider as his brows furrowed deeper, the new Luffy slowly lowered his body. Then, in a swift and very quick motion, he rushed at Luffy, slamming him into Sunny again, the ship tipping a bit to the side by the force.

"Aah!" The crew cried out in surprise as they almost fell back, losing their balance.

Gasping, Nami sat up as she watched, her body still aching from the fall. "Luffy!"

Clenching his teeth, L rushed at the new Luffy to get him away from Luffy. However, without even looking, the new Luffy swiped at L, sending him flying back and rolling across the dock. Then his smirk turned crueler as he held Luffy by his throat against Sunny.

"Guh …!" Luffy exclaimed as he grasped onto the hands around his throat, not being able to breathe. He kicked his dangling feet, but then a fist met with his gut forcefully. "Gah!" He exclaimed as blood was forced up his gullet. Spitting it up, he then looked down at his other counterpart with one eye closed from the pain and lack of air.

"Now … I'm going to say this once and only once, so you better pay attention. You and I both know you don't stand a chance against me, and neither do your … _friends_ … Now … even though I should kill you all right now for attacking me … I can really appreciate a challenge. You've both got _four_ months … You got that? Four months to become stronger … and after that time … I will come and find you … In the mean time, I will go off and try and find others who are strong enough to appease me until then." He explained before tossing Luffy aside.

Coughing and gasping for air, Luffy grabbed at his sore throat. Turning, the other Luffy then made his way to Nami. Gasping, she tried to stand up to get away, but he quickly reached out and grabbed her. Gasping again, she cried out as he pulled her to him and lifting her into his arms.

"Let go!" She yelled as she struggled against him.

Not paying her any attention, he then turned towards both L and Luffy, who were struggling to stand. "If any of you try and follow me … I will kill her. I can always take the other one instead. I think I would also have to kill the rest of you as well and forget about the challenge …" He said with a grin.

N gasped as her eyes widened in some fear. S stepped forward and pulled her behind him. L scowled at him deeply. "Y-You won't touch her …"

"Give me back my navigator!" Luffy yelled as he stumbled forward.

"Luffy … wait …" L said quietly as he held out his arm in front of Luffy.

Making a small noise, Luffy looked over at L. L had a deep and concerned frown on his face. "Maybe … we should do what he says … I think he really would kill Nami … if we followed him …" He said only quiet enough for Luffy to hear.

Clenching his teeth, he then turned a scowl back on the other Luffy. Chuckling, he smirked horribly before taking a step back. "That's what I thought … I'll see you in four months …" He said before turning and walking away.

"_Luf-fy_!!"

Clenching his teeth tightly, Luffy growled as he took another step forward. "Luffy, don't!"

Stopping, he closed his eyes before turning a deep frown to L. "We have to be patient … and do what he says … You saw how easily he took us both down … He's a lot stronger than we are … Not only that … but I could also feel it … Couldn't you?"

"Aa … I could feel it … but I don't care! He's got my navigator!"

"Luffy … would you really risk getting her and all of us killed because you think you gotta get her back right now?!"

"What if he hurts her?!"

Sighing, L deflated before turning to watch his retreating form with Nami. "He said he would come and find us in four months … We have to train and get stronger … Then we can take Nami back …"

"No, Luffy!!" Nami cried as she struggled against the new Luffy, trying to get away.

His grip on her only tightened. "I would stop struggling if I was you … but to be honest … I like it." He said as he chuckled. He had whispered the last part in her ear.

Nami immediately went still, which caused him to chuckle again. '_Was this really Luffy?_' She thought as she stared up at him. He had the same scar as Luffy. However, his hair was longer and his eyes more wild. He also wore black and white. The vest was white and he had black shorts with sandals. He also wasn't wearing the straw hat.

She was scared of him. She didn't like this. She felt tears come to her eyes again. Looking over his shoulder toward the ship, she frowned as it and both Luffy and L got smaller and smaller. '_Luffy…_' She thought as the tears escaped. She was really scared.

"Damn it!!" Luffy screamed as he slammed his fist down onto the dock, breaking it. He had never felt such anger and betrayal. He never would have expected anything like this before. He was also scared. He had no idea what that other self would do, or was capable of. Had he really defeated everyone from his world? Was he really that strong?

"Luffy, L!" The crew called as they all made their way down.

"Oi, are we really going to let that mad man take Nami-san?!"

"Aa … We will play by his rules for now …"

"But why?!" Sanji yelled, not understanding and a little upset this Luffy seemed to be taking charge.

"Because he would have killed her … as well as all of us. I could feel it. He wasn't bluffing …"

"What?!"

"Are you s-serious?!" Usopp yelled nervously.

"Aa … I'm serious …"

"He's right … He was serious … I could see it … but …" Luffy started as he narrowed his eyes, "you still should have let me try!"

"It would have been reckless!" L yelled as he bared his teeth at Luffy.

"I don't like the idea of him taking Nami away! I couldn't forgive myself if he did anything to her!"

"Then we would have all died! Nami included!"

Growling slightly, Luffy also bared his teeth before looking away, but keeping his teeth clenched. "Damn it …" He muttered before turning and walking towards the ship.

Frowning, Usopp then turned back towards the town, both the other Luffy and Nami no longer in sight. "Is there … really Luffy like that … who would kill all of us …?"

"We just saw him …" Zoro said quietly with a deep frown.

"We need to find Dabara … We won't be able to go back without him." L said.

"Oi, are you serious?! We can't possibly leave Nami with that monster!!" Sanji yelled.

"I understand … more than anyone how you feel …" L said through clenched teeth. He clutched his fists so tight that his knuckles were beginning to turn white. "But we have to be patient … We have to find Dabara …"

"He's right … They won't be able to go home if that guy leaves without them …" Luffy whispered.

"Ah!" L exclaimed as he quickly turned to Luffy.

Luffy slowly turned to him, a deep and displeased frown on his face. "Right?"

Deflating, L released a breath as he frowned at Luffy a bit sadly. "Yes … that's right …"

Nodding, Luffy made his way back on deck, his crew slowly following him. He suddenly felt weak. Nami had been taken by strong guys before. He had every confidence he would get her back. However, L had stopped him, and even though he was angry about it, he knew he was right. If they had gone after them, if he had, he would have gotten his entire crew as well as L's killed. He wanted to protect his crew, not get them senselessly slaughtered. This other self, he could tell, had no self control at all, and would kill them all within a heartbeat.

He had another Luffy with him. However, he had seen firsthand that that wouldn't do them any good. He had made very quick work of them both. He felt sick. Even though he'd not cared, he had been able to sense just how strong this other self had been.

Sighing, N approached L and gently touched his arm. "You did the right thing … even if he might hate you for it …"

"Damn it … It didn't feel like the right thing … I wanted to go after him too, Nami … If it had been you … I think I might have gotten us all killed …"

"Then maybe it's a good thing that it wasn't me, and you were here to stop him …"

Frowning, he slowly turned to look at her before sighing. "We should start our search immediately." He said as he turned to the others. They stood in attention. He nodded to them. They nodded in return and then made their way into town. "We will return tonight. We will also need to purchase different clothes. Seeing as they are pirates here, not sure how they would take to seeing us in marine uniforms."

Nodding, N also turned and then followed the others into the town. Looking up, L's frown turned concerned. "We'll be back!" He called up, but wasn't sure if anyone heard or cared.

Frowning, Luffy approached the rail and watched them walk into town.

"This has been a weird day …" Usopp whispered.

"Tell me about it … This is also the worst case scenario … This is Luffy we're up against …"

"A really bad Luffy …" Chopper whispered as he frowned at Zoro.

"It doesn't matter … We will get her back … No matter what … I don't care how strong he might be …" Luffy said in a low voice as his eyes were concealed under his hat.

He was still facing in the way they had left in. Never had he ever hated someone so much than himself at that moment. How did he end up the way he was? He never would have thought he could ever be like that. He also couldn't help but to be angry with L as well, no matter how right he might have been.

"Do you think he's that strong Luffy?" Zoro asked.

"Aa … I could tell … He better no t…" He started to say, but didn't finish.

He knew Nami was there, but she was untouchable. There was nothing he could do about it. He just hoped he wouldn't hurt her in _any_ way, or he himself may be tempted to kill him. "We will defeat him." Luffy stated as he stared off into town.

"Aa!" The guys exclaimed in agreement.

Luffy continued to stare out towards the town. This was going to be difficult.

**To Be Continued…**

**Author's Note: **I hope you liked my first chapter so far! XD I also hope you all liked my two other Luffy's! 8D I always wanted to do an evil Luffy story, but I felt it would be cliché to make it were he were brainwashed, turns due to Devil Fruit, or what not. So when my husband came up with this idea I thought, 'OH! I can do an evil Luffy and it's not because of 'said reasons from before!' It's just who he is! XD However, this Luffy is all bad. There isn't an ounce of good in him what so ever. He's evil, sadistic, (yes I said sadistic) cruel, and just one bad ass. He finds pleasure in other's pain and just loves to beat the hell out of anyone who claims to be strong. Well … and among other things … He's going to be one evil S.O.B! XD I also have the serious and more reserved Luffy I like to portray. So, they are all of these, but this is just the way they really are. Nothing turned them like this for any other reason other then, this is just how they grew up. Anyways, please review!


	2. Chapter 2: Helplessness

**Author's Note: **Here is chapter 2 of Crossed! XD I hope you all enjoy it! XD I re-edited chapter 1, but got lazy and didn't do the rest … So, you will just have to deal. The last few chapters are better, but these were done earlier, and I'm just to damned lazy to fix them … Please review. I really do love to hear your opinions on each chapter. Don't be afraid to review either! I see some of you favoriting my stories, but don't leave me a review! TT So, review! And enjoy! XD

**Crossed**

**Chapter 2: Helplessness**

After awhile, D set her down and stopped walking. D. It was what she thought of him as. Not just because she knew that was his middle initial, but because he was dark. Dark was the best she could describe him as. He was the opposite of how she thought of Luffy, as light. He was evil, he was horrible, he was dark.

"I suggest you never try and run from me. If you do, I will hunt you and your friends down, and I won't hesitate to kill you all. You noticed your friends didn't come after you. They know I'm stronger than the both of them put together. So I also suggest…you take that into consideration when you feel it would be a good chance to run." he said in a low, amused voice.

Nami stared up into his face in wide eyed fear. He was right. Luffy hadn't tried to come after her like he normally would. She could also see in his eyes, even if he were laughing at her, that he wouldn't hesitate to kill her or her nakama. She nodded in understanding.

"Good." he said as he grinned down at her. Then he turned and began to walk.

She watched him for awhile, before turning and looking towards the harbor. He turned and looked at her with an amused smile. She felt like crying, but she wouldn't dare. She huffed, stuck her nose in the air, and then began to follow him. His amused smile widened as he turned and continued walking. She stared at his back with a worried expression. Who was she kidding? She was terrified of him, even if he _was_ Luffy. What he had said and done really worried her. What if he tried something? She knew she couldn't possibly fight him off if he did. She felt her stomach lurch. She felt sick, but even so, she would never cry and disgrace herself or her nakama.

D furrowed his brows as he looked around. He had been in such a hurry to get back to the ship that he hadn't bothered to tell the man where to meet him. He shrugged and made his way inside a bar. Nami slowly followed him in. He walked up to the bartender.

"Give me something…anything. I don't care." he said with a deadly look. The man nodded in slight fear as he began to pour something in a glass. "Give me the bottle." demanded D. The man shakily handed it to him and quickly moved on. D lifted up his glass and downed it. Then he poured himself a new glass.

Nami stood where she was and just watched him. His mannerism was so different from Luffy's. She slowly walked up to him, not really sure what to do. Without looking, he pointed to the stool next to him. "Sit." he said. She blinked a few times as she made a small noise, and then did as she was told. "You've got a name, right?" he said more than asked.

"Y-Yes…" she replied quietly.

He looked at her. "Well then tell me." he said as he frowned at her.

"Nami." she said.

"I thought that was what he said." he said as he looked away and downed another shot.

"S-So…you've never met me…before?" she asked.

"Why should I have?" he asked without caring for an answering.

"You said…you had defeated anyone who was remotely strong…Did that include a merman named Arlong?" she asked tentatively.

"I don't pay attention to names." he said curtly. Then he turned to the bartender. "Oi, food. Now." he said as he pointed to in front of him. The man nodded and then stumbled to run to the back.

Nami furrowed her eyes at him. "Would it kill you to be a little more polite…?" she said.

He turned to her quickly with furrowed brows and then he grinned. "Yes…yes it would." he said in an amused voice.

Nami scrunched up her lips and nose slightly as she frowned at him. He chuckled and then turned back to his drink. "Are you even going to pay for that food?" she asked.

He looked back at her with an amused expression and then he snorted in laughter. "Pay?!" he asked.

She made a soft noise as she frowned. "You…don't pay…?" she said quietly.

"I've never had to pay for anything since…" He stopped what he was saying and lost some of his smile. Then he turned away from her.

"Since what?" she asked. She couldn't contain her curiosity.

"Don't ask." he said in more of an order. She frowned at him sadly. 'Had something happened to him?' she thought to herself.

The man finally came out and placed a plate of food in front of him, and not sure if he should, went on ahead and brought one for her. She glanced at it, but didn't touch it. He immediately dug into his. The bartender scrambled off away from him again. Nami looked towards the round man curiously. He had instantly been afraid of him. 'Did he really have that kind of power that people could sense that he was dangerous?' It was almost like just his presence demanded for people to bow to his will. She had to admit she had instinctively felt that he was dangerous when she first saw him.

She looked back at her food. She was pretty sure he would still be hungry after he finished that plate. She reached up, and slid her plate towards him. He quickly looked at it, and then looked at her. "I-I don't want it…" she said quietly. He didn't say anything. He finished what he had on his plate, took it, and then began to eat what was on it.

The door to the bar opened. Nami turned and a not so happy, short looking man walked in. He spotted them and then approached them. She furrowed her brows as he approached. The man reached out to D. "Don't touch me." he said without turning. Nami looked at him in surprise as did the man. "Did you get what I asked?" he asked.

"Y-Yes…" replied the man.

"Good." said D as he set the plate down and turned to him. "Then let's go." he said as he stood up. Nami frowned as she turned towards the empty plates and the man behind the bar. He didn't say a word. D turned to her. "Let's go." he said.

She turned to him and then slowly got up. She didn't have any money on her. She felt really bad not paying for the food. Also, if he happened to recognize them, it would make them look bad. She turned to the man. "I'm really sorry about this…" she said before turning and walking towards D. He chuckled at her as she approached. She frowned at him and then looked away. The bartender watched them leave in confusion. That man had given him a really bad vibe. He hadn't expected him to pay.

The three made their way back towards the harbor. However, the short man turned down an alley and continued going straight for awhile. They came out on another street, and then he turned and headed back to the harbor. There was a good sized ship waiting for them in a secluded part of the harbor.

Nami stopped. "Wait." she said.

They both turned to her. "What?" asked D.

"We…we need a set log pose in order to get around." she said.

"A set log pose? What's that?" asked the short man.

Nami furrowed her brows at him. "Don't you know about log poses?" she asked him hesitantly.

"No…I just got to this world…" he replied.

Nami gasped. "Wait…are you…are you Dabara?!" she asked.

The man smirked. "That's right…Luffy here made a deal with me and I agreed. We're going to be traveling together sweetie." he said.

Nami backed away from the man instinctively. She didn't like how he was smiling at her. Suddenly, D lifted the man off the ground. The man cried out. "I want to get one thing straight." he said. Then he pointed to Nami. "This woman is off limits…If you so much as look at her wrong…I will beat the hell out of you…If you try something and threaten her not to tell me…I will beat the hell out of you. She will tell me because she knows I will do what I say. Am I clear?" said D. Nami stared at him in complete surprise.

"A-Aa…I understand!!" he replied.

"Also…she's mine." said D with a devious grin. Nami's eyes widened and she backed away again. Then he turned to her. "Now, what's this log pose?" he asked as he dropped Dabara.

She took a deep breath and then held up her arm. "This is a log pose. It's what we use to get around on this particular sea that we are on…It's the only way to find islands here." she said.

D narrowed his eyes at her. "Why can't we just use that one?" he asked as he pointed to the pose on her wrist.

"It's not set yet. It takes while for the magnetic fields to set them. Times vary island to island. This one won't set for another three days." she explained.

"Okay, then how do we get another one?" he asked. He seemed to be losing his patience.

"We have to go into town and find one that's already set…" she explained.

D nodded and then headed back into town. "Stay with the ship." he said without turning. "Let's go Nami." he said as he continued to walk. She furrowed her brows and then followed him.

She followed him through an alley and was about to come out the other side, but then he suddenly brought out an arm and pushed her to the wall and flattened himself as well. She kept silent, knowing he had a reason. She looked through the opening. Suddenly, the marine set of themselves walked by. She inhaled sharply, but clapped a hand over her mouth. D quickly turned to her with a frown. She only stared at him. He turned back to the opening and watched them pass by. He walked out of the alley and watched them for awhile. Then he turned to her.

"Let's go." he said as he walked to the building across the street. They continued down that alley and came out into another street. "Who would have one?" he asked.

"I-I don't know…We would have to ask around." she replied. He turned and gave her an impatient frown. "It's the only way…" she said as she gave him her own impatient look.

"Alright, then find one." he said as he turned away.

She took lead and began the search for a new pose. After asking around and checking a few places, they finally came to a man who had a set pose. D grabbed the man by the shirt and shoved him against the wall. "Give us…the pose." he demanded in a deadly voice.

"Please! Stop this!" begged Nami.

"I can't give you my pose! I need it!" yelled the man.

"I will give you mine. It will set in three days. Please…just give us the pose." said Nami with a concerned expression.

"I can't wait three days! I have to leave immediately!" said the man.

"You will give us the pose now, or I kill you and we take it." threatened D.

"No please!" exclaimed Nami as she turned to him. He slowly turned to look at her. "Please don't do this…" she whispered.

"Wait! I recognize you! You're Monkey D. Luffy!" said the man.

Quickly turning to that man, Nami felt herself panic. "No! You have it wrong!" she exclaimed.

"That's right…I'm Monkey D. Luffy…" said D with a grin. She quickly looked at D as she felt the panic rise further.

"I knew it!" said the man as he scowled at D.

She quickly turned back to the man. "Wait, it's not what you think!" she exclaimed.

D slowly turned to her with furrowed brows. "What are you doing?" he asked in a low voice.

She turned back to him. "Please…don't do this to him…" she whispered.

"She's right! You shouldn't do this!" yelled the man.

Without looking, D slammed his fist into the man's face. Nami gasped and jumped as she turned to the man. "What the hell are you talking about?" he asked.

"Please…he would never do this…" she said.

"What the hell do I care what he would or wouldn't do?" asked D as he glared at her. Then he turned to the man and ripped off his log pose.

"Oi!" exclaimed the man as he grabbed for it. D punched the man in the stomach.

"Stop it!" cried Nami as she stepped forward. She knew better then to touch him though. "Please." she said as she faced him.

He just shrugged and lifted up the pose. "I've got what I wanted." he said as he turned and walked off.

Turning to the poor man, she frowned. "I'm so sorry…" she said as she removed her pose and placed it in front of the man. Then she turned and followed D.

D turned into an alley to head back to the harbor. As soon as Nami turned the corner, he grabbed her and shoved her up against the wall. She cried out and stared at him wide eyed in slight fear. "Don't _ever_…tell me what to do…" he said in a low voice.

Nami turned slightly angry. "You're making him look bad! He would never do this!" she said.

"I thought I already made it clear that I didn't care…" he said as his eyes narrowed.

"Who do you think you are?! You don't even belong here!!" she yelled.

He slowly broke out into a half smile. "You just don't get it do you…?" he said more than asked. She stared back at him defiantly. He gave a low chuckle and then pressed against her. She gasped as her eyes widened. "You've got some guts for a woman…" he said in a low voice as he leaned toward her.

She turned her head away from him. "Please stop…" she whispered.

"You're begging for the wrong thing…Soon…I will have you begging for it, instead of begging me to stop…" he whispered into her ear before he began to suck on her ear lobe.

She clenched her eyes shut tight as she tried to press further against the wall to get away from him. "Don't…" she whispered as her breathing quickened.

He chuckled low again before pulling away from her and continuing back towards the harbor. She stayed where she was for awhile as she took a few deep breaths. She slowly opened her eyes and finally moved away from the wall to follow him. He waited for her at the exit of the alley with a smirk on his face. She gave him an angry frown before turning away from him. She followed him back towards the harbor in silence.

As soon as they made it back to the ship, Dabara was waiting. He had already gotten the ship ready to depart. D and Nami climbed aboard. Nami turned to the Thousand Sunny. She could see it in the distance. She longed to just go to it, to see her nakama, to see him. Her being with this Luffy made her really appreciate Luffy for who he was, not that she hadn't already, but she definitely felt it now.

"So close…but yet so far…"

Gasping, she whirled around to see D staring off at the ship with his hand shielding his eyes from the sun, even though there was no sun in his view. She felt anger well up inside her from his unnecessary gibing. She pushed passed him roughly and made her way to the cabin. She could hear his quiet chuckles. She hated him…She never would have thought she could ever hate Luffy. However…he wasn't really Luffy…At least, not the one she knew…

Throwing open the door, she stomped inside and slammed it behind her. Breathing heavily, she walked into the middle of the room and just stood there. She wanted to cry, but she would do no such thing. Instead, she began to look around inside the fairly big cabin. There was a large, thick window that over looked the ocean with a window seat under it, a large bed against one of the walls, a large locker and a desk. She didn't have any of her things. She had no clothes and no paper to draw maps. She walked over to the bed and then gently slid her hand her hand across the blanket. It was actually pretty soft.

She turned at the door suddenly opening, her face immediately showing her anger. "What are you doing?" she asked in a low voice.

D looked around and then turned to her with his smirk. "This is the only room." he said.

Feeling fear begin to take over her anger, she backed away from the bed and him slowly. "What are you talking about?!" she said loudly.

"We're going to be sharing a room…" he said as his smirk turned more devious.

"Are you out of your mind?! We are _not_ sharing a room!" she half yelled.

He slowly began to approach her, which caused her to back away further. "You don't have a choice in this matter." he said as he lost his smile.

Her eyes widened as the fear was becoming worse. "No…" she said as she backed into the wall. "I will sleep outside then." she said. She couldn't let herself get back into a corner. She stepped forward to push passed him. However, he reached out and pushed her back against the wall as he finally made it to her. She gasped as she stared at him.

His smirk widened as he moved closer to her. "I don't think you will be doing any such thing…" he said in a low voice.

"W-What do you mean?" she asked as she forced a frown.

"I think you are going to be sleeping right here…with me…" he said in a very low voice as he leaned forward and began kissing her neck. She inhaled sharply as she tried to get away. However, he was holding her firmly in place.

"No…" she whispered as she began to panic. "Please don't…" she said, her voice quivering.

"Why not?" he asked as he continued down her neck.

"Please stop this…" she said a little louder.

"Are you afraid you would give in to me?" he asked as he smirked against her skin.

"No…I would never give in to you!" she said as she tried to push away from him harder. He shoved her back against the wall. She cried out, but continued to struggle. "Stop it!!" she yelled as her panic was becoming worse. She was truly afraid of him. She felt tears sting her eyes. She would have never thought that Luffy could _ever _be like this. No matter what world he was from. It made her feel sad and made her want to know how it was he became this way.

Chuckling, he finally released her. She pushed passed him and then turned to look at him in slight confusion. He turned to look at her and smiled. "I find forcing myself on a woman distasteful…I will wait until you give it up freely…" he said as he grinned maliciously.

She clenched her teeth before turning and running out of the room. She slowed as she found herself outside and then walked over to the rail. They had already set sail and the island was becoming smaller. She vaguely wondered if D had figured out how to use the log pose. She would eventually have to do what he had taken her for. She turned and stared at the Thousand Sunny as it too became smaller. More tears formed in her eyes as she watched it shrink in size. "Luffy…" she whispered. She lifted her arms and hugged herself. "Everyone…" she whispered as she stood at the rail, feeling completely alone.

D stood in the door way of the cabin as he leaned against the frame and watched her. He had to admit he like her feistiness. He could tell she feared him in some ways, but she didn't show it. She stood up to him and he found he liked that about her. Not many did that, and especially no woman. She had fire in her eyes that he found mesmerizing. She had asked if he had ever met her before. He had to say he hadn't and also began to wonder if there was a woman like her where he was from.

It didn't matter any way. He never planned on going back there. He would just tame this woman until she gave into him. He slowly smirked and then made his way out. He was still hungry and might as well check on all the supplies that man was supposed to get. He walked into the small kitchen and began to look through all the barrels and crates.

Dabara walked in to give a description of what he got. "I made sure I got a lot of food. I didn't know how much you ate, so I just went with a lot instead of a little." he explained nonchalantly.

"This will do…" said D as he opened the large fridge to see what was inside.

"I also got other essentials, but I didn't realize we were going to have a woman on the ship…" he said in a quieter voice.

"She will be fine…She can use whatever we have…" replied D not really caring as he opened more crates. He reached in and grabbed the fruit that was inside and began to eat it.

"Alright…" replied Dabara before leaving the cabin.

D grabbed another fruit and left the cabin himself. He closed the door and leaned against it as he continued to watch the woman. She hadn't left that spot since she left the room. He turned back towards the island that was very small now. He could barely make out the ship he had taken her from. He bit into the fruit as he turned back to her. He was pretty sure the ship is where her eyes were glued to. He scoffed quietly as he slid down the door to sit. He took another bite of the fruit as he continued to watch her. She finally closed her eyes and turned away from the island. She hugged herself tighter and slowly walked away from the rail.

He followed her with his eyes until she stopped in the middle of the deck. She turned to him with a displeased expression. He smirked back at her in return. Her eyes narrowed and then she approached him. She then held her hand out to him. "Give me the pose…" she said in a demanding tone.

He chuckled and bit into the fruit again as he continued to stare at her. She kept her hand held out to him as her eyes narrowed further. "Do you want me to navigate or not? I mean, you can do it yourself if you want. You seem to be doing a good job on your own already." she said in an unpleasant voice.

"You're right…It's a lot easier than I thought." he said as he took another bite.

"Oh sure…It's super simple and that's why anyone can do it…Let's see how well you do when the weather suddenly changes and you get us all killed. This sea is very dangerous and unpredictable. No matter how powerful or strong you think you are, you're no match for this sea…" she said as she turned and walked away.

Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She gasped and turned to him. He had his arm stretched out and holding her shoulder. "Y-You can stretch!" she said.

"Aa…I can stretch…" he said as he lost his smirk and his expression turned slightly cold for a split second. Then he scoffed and his smirk returned.

"How did you get your abilities?" she asked. She was slightly confused about his reaction just now to what she said.

He stood up and removed his hand. He once again lost his smirk. He dug into his pocket and removed the pose. He shoved it at her. She reached up and took it and then watched as he continued passed her. He didn't even bother to give her an answer. 'What was that all about…?' she thought as she watched him walk away with a frown.

Walking into the cabin, he shut the door behind him. He made his way to the bed and fell on it. He stared up at the ceiling with slightly narrowed eyes. The last thing he wanted to be reminded of…was his past…

xxxx

Luffy watched the small ship sail away. Some how, he knew it was them…He knew Nami was on the ship and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it. He clenched his teeth down so hard her could hear them grinding together. He gripped the railing tightly, causing it to creak under the pressure. He never felt so helpless as he watched the ship become smaller and smaller.

L approached Luffy quietly with a concerned expression. He and the others had gone into town and found out that Dabara was gone as well. He had joined the other Luffy.

_L and the others walked into a bar to see if maybe Dabara had come through here. He approached the bar and the man behind it immediately backed away from him in fear. L furrowed his brows at the man. "We're looking for someone." he said._

_The bartender glanced at everyone and then became slightly confused. He looked back at L and then furrowed his brows. "You ain't got the scar…" he said quietly._

_L's expression immediately turned surprised. "A scar?!" he asked as he approached the man. "Did another man that looked like me come here?!" he asked._

"_A-Aa…He was real scary too…You…you don't look so scary…" he replied as he began to relax. Then he regarded him seriously. "He the man you're lookin' fer?" he asked._

"_No, we're looking for another man. He's a short man with red hair, green eyes, and small in stature." explained N._

"_Ah! He was here too! He left with the man who looked like you and a woman who…uh…well…looked exactly like you…" he said as he pointed to each and his expression turned extremely confused._

_N turned to L in concern. L furrowed his brows in anger. "I don't believe this…How did they…?" he started to say. Then he turned to N. "It looks like we are stuck here regardless…" he said as he frowned. She frowned in return and nodded._

"_Are you like twins, er somethin'?" asked the bartender._

_Both turned to him, but said nothing as they turned and left with the others. Then man watched them leave in confusion as he scratched his head._

L could imagine what he must be feeling. He reached the rail and turned to the small ship disappear into the horizon. N watched the two from where she was with a sad frown on her face.

"I'm sorry…" L said as he continued to stare off where the ship had disappeared. He too had known it had been them.

Luffy didn't turn to him for he was also still staring in the direction the ship had gone. "Sorry for what?"

"I feel responsible for everything that has happened…" He replied quietly.

Sighing deeply, Luffy closed his eyes tightly. "It's not your fault..."

"I know how you are feeling…I can't help but…to feel sorry and helpless…I never would have thought he would have followed us here…I mean, what were the chances he just _happened _to be there when we went through…" said L.

Luffy didn't reply. He took a deep breath and finally looked away from the horizon. "I will help you…" L said as he turned to Luffy.

"Help me?" Luffy asked as he turned to L.

"Aa…we are going to need to get stronger. We can help each other train."

Luffy blinked at him a few times before looking to the side. L was right. He needed to train. He turned back to L and nodded. "Alright."

L gave a small smile and nodded. Then he turned toward the island. "We will need to go somewhere where there are no people."

"There is an uninhabited island near here." Robin said as she approached them.

Both turned to her. "Where?" Luffy asked.

"I over heard someone talk about it. Perhaps we can ask." She suggested.

Luffy nodded and then headed to the other side of the ship. "Yosh, let's go ask!" He said as he made his way off the ship. Robin followed along behind him.

L frowned as the raven haired woman disappeared over the rail. N approached him with a frown and put an arm around him. He looked down at her and gave her a small unsure smile. "I'm sure everything will be okay." she said softly.

Losing his smile, he couldn't help but to pull her to him in a tight embrace. She inhaled sharply as her eyes widened in slight surprise from his sudden movement. Then she began to relax as she wrapped her arms around him. She understood how he must be feeling.

Luffy walked quickly into the town and began looking around at everyone. Robin stopped as she made it to him. "I over heard it at a shop. Perhaps we should go there." she suggested. Luffy turned to her and nodded.

Walking past him, she began to lead him to the shop she referred to. As soon as they reached it, she opened the door and walked in. She looked around and spotted the woman whom she had over heard it from. "Excuse me…" said Robin gently.

The woman looked up at her and smiled. "Yes? Can I help you?" she asked.

"I over heard you talking about an uninhabited island near here. Can you please tell us how to get there?" asked Robin.

The woman smiled. "Oh, it's just behind this island. You can see it from the southern coast on the other side of the island." she explained.

Robin gave the woman a gentle, thankful smile. "Thank you so much." said Robin as she turned to Luffy and gave him a gentler smile. He grinned at her. "Shall we?" she asked.

Luffy nodded. "Aa!" he said as he turned and made his way out, Robin behind him. Luffy had a grin on his face as they climbed back aboard the ship. "Oi! We found out where it is!" he said cheerfully.

L turned to him and gave a small smile. "That's good news. Should we go to it then?" he asked.

"Aa! It's just behind this island. She said you can see it from the southern coast. So, we don't need a pose for it!" he exclaimed.

"A pose?" asked N.

"Ee, a pose is a device we have to use to get around in this part of the ocean." explained Robin.

"Oh…I see." replied Nami.

"Well, shall we get going then? We will need all the time and training we can get." said L as he stepped forward.

"Aa! Franky! Let's get to that island!" exclaimed Luffy. He felt some hope again.

"Ryokai!" replied Franky. The guys all began to unfurl the sails. Franky grabbed the wheel and began to guide the ship to where they needed to go.

As soon as they rounded the island, Luffy jumped onto the rail and waited for the island to come into view. L approached him and also watched for the island. After about five minutes, they could finally see a corner of it.

"Aha!" laughed Luffy as he grinned happily.

No matter what, he was going to try his hardest to become stronger. He had to get her back. Once they arrived at the island, Luffy immediately jumped off the ship as he ran off to look around with a massive grin on his face. The island was a pretty good size.

L made his way off the ship and then watched Luffy in slight disbelief. The rubber man seemed happy despite what had happened. "So cool! It's a lot bigger than I thought it was going to be!" exclaimed Luffy with his grin.

"He's always like this. He always makes it seem like he doesn't have a worry in the world…but we all know that isn't true. He's just overly optimistic sometimes." explained Robin with a warm smile as she stepped beside L.

L turned to her and then gave a small smile and nodded. "I see." he replied as he turned back to Luffy.

"It would be nice if L were a little more optimistic sometimes." said N as she approached them with a smile.

Turning to her, he gave a fake frown. "Oi…I can be optimistic!" he said in his defense.

She chuckled, a low pleasant sound, as she smiled lovingly at him. "I never said you couldn't." she retorted as she stuck the tip of her tongue out.

He also chuckled and wrapped an arm around her. "I guess you didn't." he said. Robin smiled kindly at the couple and then turned back to Luffy. He was slightly turned to them and his grin was gone. Robin's smile disappeared. L turned to him and became serious. Then he removed his arm and approached him. "Are you ready?" he asked.

"Aa…" replied Luffy as he turned and made his way into the jungle. L followed behind him. Everyone else also followed them inside the dense jungle.

Luffy came to a small clearing and stopped. He looked around and seemed to nod in satisfaction as he turned to L. L walked into the clearing and faced Luffy. Everyone else stayed on the edge of the clearing and found a place to sit and watch.

"I say we give it our best and don't hold back…" said L in a low voice as he removed his coat and tossed it aside. He lifted his arm with his fingers pointing up in preparation.

"Aa…" agreed Luffy as he brought up a fist.

They seemed to stare at one another for the longest time. Usopp blinked a few times wondering when they were going to get started. "Oi, what are they doing?" he whispered loudly to Zoro next to him.

"I don't know…" he replied as he also just watched.

Then suddenly, both seemed to vanish. Everyone made a loud noise in astonishment as they suddenly came together with a powerful force. Everyone watched in amazement as they moved with lightning speed and hit blow for blow with point blank accuracy. They managed to barely keep up with their speed. L threw a punch and Luffy blocked it easily and sent a punch of his own. Then they became a bit of a blur and the crew tried their hardest to keep up with them. Then suddenly, they heard one of them cry out. Luffy flew back and skid across the ground.

Everyone frowned as he didn't get up right away. After awhile, he slowly got up on his elbows, but had his hair covering his face. He slid a knee up and sat on the other, but still didn't lift his head. "Luffy…" whispered Usopp.

"Is he okay?" whispered Chopper.

"I'm sure he's fine…" whispered Zoro.

L kept his eyes on Luffy the entire time, but then suddenly, his expression turned slightly surprise. It started off quiet at first, but then it became louder and louder. Luffy let out a loud growl and then cried out in what it sounded like anger. Then he raised his fist and slammed it down into the ground, creating a small crater. He felt weak, very weak. He couldn't even land the first blow against his other self who was also weaker than this other Luffy.

Everyone jumped when he slammed his fist into the ground and then their expression turned sad or concerned. Zoro and Sanji only looked at him with blank expressions, but they knew how he felt.

Taking a few deep breaths, Luffy finally stood up and faced L. He had a serious look on his face. He would try even harder. He had to. Other wise, he would never be able to get Nami back. "S-Sorry…" he said as he lowered his head slightly.

Shaking his head, L smiled at him. "No, it's okay. I understand how you feel. You just have to get better, right? I trained almost ever day of my life. We will get better. We will get her back." he said.

Luffy looked up at him and then grinned. "Aa!" he said as he got into position to try again.

Nodding, L then lunged for him as they started the second round.

xxxx

Nami leaned against the rail as she stared down at the crashing waves against the ship with a forlorn expression. She had been left alone now for about an hour. D had disappeared into the cabin and hadn't come out. Dabara was up in the covered crow's nest. She drew tiny circles on the rail and listened to the seagulls above. She was glad for the alone time. She didn't want to be around either one of them. She felt better knowing he wasn't the type to force himself on a woman, but she was sure he wouldn't stop trying to get what he wanted.

Sighing, she closed her eyes and placed her chin over her arms. She opened them slowly as she stared down at the fast flowing water as they sailed through it. More than anything she wanted to go back to her nakama. Why did this have to happen to her? She also couldn't help but to feel a little hurt and betrayed that Luffy hadn't tried harder to get her back. She, of course, had to remind herself that he had tried, but the other Luffy had proved to be that much stronger. She also couldn't help but to wonder what he might be doing right now. Of course, what the whole crew was doing…She furrowed her brows and then stood up straighter.

She shook her head to clear it. Then she wondered about the marine group like them. They would be stuck here as well, since Dabara was here. She didn't have to wonder if they would help or not. She knew they would, because she knew that he would. She just had to be patient and bear with it until they came to get her. She knew that they would, when they were able to.

Turning toward the closed cabin door, she frowned a bit. Maybe if she got on his good side, he would forget about trying to have his way with her. She had to admit it to herself that it was slightly dangerous if he did. She found she hadn't quite reacted to him the way she had thought she would. Each time he touched her, she had expected to be repulsed or disgusted, but she had found she had felt neither. It, of course, helped to remind herself that he was a completely different person even if they had the same identity. However, that also confused her. She had never thought of Luffy in that way.

She felt herself shiver. She grabbed her arms and hugged herself again. She lowered herself to the deck and sat down against the rail. She would never give in to him of course, but she was worried about the whole situation and a tad confused. She brought up her knees close to her as she continued to hug her arms. "Luffy…please hurry…" she whispered as she placed her forehead on her knees.

**To Be Continued…**

**Author's Note: **I hope you all enjoyed my chapter! He's mean, ain't he?! XP I like … x) We finally get a description of Dabara! XD The red haired idea was Al's … I wanted him to be short. She wanted him to be bulky like a dwarf … but I just couldn't do I … I went with the small, but fairly good looking bad guy this time. No ugly, big and bulky guy like Al wanted. Bahaha! XD Oh and for those who don't know, Al is Alastair. Oh, she didn't want him ugly, just big and bulky. She said something about giantism…? (Shrugs) So he's a cutesy small and red haired, green eyed guy. -.-; Anywho! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please, I remind you, say so in a review! XP


	3. Chapter 3: Ponderings

Crossed

**Author's Note: **I'm so sorry I took so long! However, I did tell you guys I wouldn't be able to post as much anymore! TT Well, finally! Here it is! Chapter 3! I've got a surprise for all you Luffy fangirls out there! Yes Gohan…another one! However, not for you this time! HAHA! XD I hope you all enjoy it! XD Please review and enjoy! 8D

**Crossed**

**Chapter 3: Ponderings**

Staring at one another, and breathing heavily, Luffy and L drooped tiredly as they continued their training. Everyone had to back away from the area once they realized the boys needed more room to work with. The trees that used to surround the area had long since been torn from the ground and lay in disastrous piles around them. N had returned to the ship not being able to bear watching anymore, Robin accompanying her. Blood and sweat dripped down Luffy's face as he stared down L. L didn't look any better. His arm was injured and bleeding and he was beyond exhausted. He wiped the sweat from his eyes quickly.

Just as he thought, Luffy took the opportunity to attack. He quickly brought up his arms in preparation for the blow he knew was coming. He looked from side to side, trying to predict where the hit was coming from. At the very second Luffy through his punch, L flipped backwards, having predicted it at the last second possible. Luffy changed course and lunged for the retreating man. He stretched his punch, aiming for his gut. L landed, just to be greeted with a fist to the stomach.

He cried out and was sent flying. He skid and rolled across the ground before finally coming to a stop. Panting, he sat up and grabbed his stomach. He leaned forward and tried to catch his breath. He staggered to his feet and faced Luffy once again. He was getting stronger. They had been sparring for the past four hours now. The sun was setting just behind them, and in just that little time, Luffy had already improved so much. L knew it had a lot to do with his will and determination.

Smiling at Luffy, he stood up straighter. "Shall we call it a day? I'm famished." he said.

Luffy grinned. "Aa! I'm starving too!" he said as he turned to Sanji. "Oi, Sanji!! It's time for dinner!" he yelled.

"Aa! I'll get right on it!" said Sanji as he smiled and then turned to go back to the ship.

Chopper ran up to both. "Let me get a look at the both of you…You guys really over did it…" he said with a frown as both sat down.

Setting his bag down, he began to dig through it until he found what he was looking for. "Shishi!" laughed Luffy as he grinned at Chopper. "It's the only way we can get stronger." he said.

"Yeah but…you are both hurt…" replied Chopper with a frown.

"We will be fine Chopper. This is nothing, really." said L as he smiled kindly to the reindeer.

Chopper stared at him for awhile before smiling and nodding. "Mm!" he exclaimed cheerfully as he began to treat L's arm wound first.

After their wounds were treated, they all made their way back to the ship for dinner. As soon as they boarded the ship, N turned to them with a frown. L gave her a sheepish grin.

"Are you done?" she asked softly.

"Aa, we're done." replied L.

Glancing down, she noticed his arm wound and frowned further. "You're hurt." she said as she walked up to him and gently touched it.

"I'm okay." he said as he grinned further.

Then she turned to Luffy. "You're hurt too…Weren't you being careful?" she asked as she turned back to L.

"We had said we weren't going to hold back. We gave it our best. Injuries were going to happen." said L softly as his expression softened.

N looked down. "I know…but…" she started to say.

L reached under her chin, and lifted up her face to face him. "We are strong. We can handle a few injuries." he said softly. She flushed slightly as she looked into his face and then smiled and nodded.

Luffy turned and made his way up to the kitchen. He burst through the door. "Oi, Sanji! Is it done? I'm starving!" he exclaimed loudly with a grin as he ran in and sat at the table.

"Hai, hai…I just finished it." he replied with a bit of a smile as he began to place the dishes on the table. Everyone else began to pile inside and took a seat with Luffy to eat.

L turned to Luffy after swallowing what he had in his mouth. "I find it kind of weird that we all happen to have the same abilities." he said.

"Aa…That is weird…" said Luffy with a mouthful and barely audible.

"I also find it weird that we got these abilities in different ways. I can't help but to wonder how the other one got his abilities." said L as he looked down.

Tilting his head to the side as he stopped eating, Luffy regarded him slightly pondering this fact. "Aa…I got mine from a fruit and you were born with it. Although, I didn't become an Akuma no Mi user on purpose…I ate the fruit by accident…" he said.

L's eyes narrowed slightly. "I see…You have a choice…I was born an Akuma no Ko…" he said quietly.

"Akuma no Ko…" said Robin as she furrowed her brows.

"Aa…it's what people like me are referred as…Devil Children…I'm a Devil Child…" he said quietly. N frowned and lowered her gaze.

"Is it frowned upon?" asked Robin as her expression turned sad.

L shrugged a bit. "Sometimes…I've made a name for myself…I've managed…Others are not so lucky…It's a difficult life, but we are trying to make it right...We can't help the way we were born…" he explained.

Robin looked down. "Ee…I can relate to that…" she said quietly. Then she looked up. "I don't think even we had a choice…I think we were destined to eat the fruit…Seeing as you also have an ability and was born with it, and Luffy also has an ability. I believe there are some things that were just destined to happen." she explained.

L furrowed his brows slightly. "Perhaps…" he replied quietly.

"I wonder why the other Luffy is so…mean…" said Chopper quietly. Everyone turned to him.

Usopp frowned. "Who knows…" he said quietly.

"He looked so horrible…" continued Chopper as he shivered in memory. The room became silent as everyone let that thought linger.

"Well…whatever the reason…he's gotta be stopped…" said S as he scowled.

"Aa…" everyone agreed.

"Aa…no man who ever he is, is going to get away with treating a lady like that…He just better not try anything on Nami-san…" seethed Sanji.

Suddenly, there was a loud clatter. Everyone turned as Luffy stood up from the table with his eyes concealed under his hat. "I'm going to go clean up…" he said before leaving the dining area.

They couldn't help but to frown sadly after the pirate captain. "Poor Luffy…" said Chopper sadly.

"He will be fine. He's improved a great deal in just a few hours." said L.

"Aa…He has…" agreed Z.

"He's determined…Determination has always been on our side…" said L with a smile.

"Aa…that it has…" replied Z with a grin.

"You both have the same will." said S.

"Aa…it seems we all do…" replied L quietly. Everyone frowned again at the mention of the third, troublesome Luffy.

xxxx

Luffy sluggishly made his way to the bathhouse. He hadn't improved enough for the day. He had wanted to be stronger by the end of the day. All he could think about was Nami. Was she alright? Has he hurt her? Is she scared?...Is she waiting for him? Does she know he's coming for her? He lowered his head and furrowed his brows. Was she mad that he didn't come for her? He walked into the observation room and climbed the stairs to the bathhouse.

He walked in and closed the door, still deep in thought. He began removing his clothes as he walked, dropping them where he happened to be as he did. He walked up to the faucet and filled the bucket. Dumping the water over him several times until he was drenched, he then sat on the bath stool and lathered some soap. Sanji's words were still bothering him. What if he did try something on her? Would he really…force himself on her? How could he possibly be who he was?

"Nami…" he whispered as he sat still, watching the water drip from his hair. Will she be okay? Four months was a really long time. He furrowed his brows as droplet after droplet dripped to the ground. He then began to run the soap across his skin slowly as he kept his gaze to the ground. He ran it softly across his newly acquired injuries and winced from the stinging pain. Would it take him four months to get stronger? He had to get stronger quicker than that…much quicker.

He had said he would come find them after four months…The pirate captain furrowed his brows. Two months…that's how long he would take. Then…he would find him instead…There's no way in hell he would leave Nami with someone like him for so long…He glanced down at the soap he held down on his arm. He finished running it across his arm, before bringing it to his chest and running it down to his abs. Then he came back up the other side.

After he was done washing his body, he then lathered more soap, set it down, and then slowly ran his soapy hands through his hair. He watched as each strand came back down towards his face. Bringing his hands back to the front, he then began to scrub his scalp until he was sure it was clean.

He grabbed the bucket full of hot water and dumped it over his head. He filled it back up, and dumped it over his head a second time. When the soap was gone, he slowly and painfully stood up. His entire body ached. He stood where he was for a long while as he felt each trickle of water run down his body. Water dripped quickly from his hair and nose, making small drip noises on the floor below. He slowly closed his eyes as his body began to grow cold.

'Please don't let me be too late to save her…' he thought. Then he opened his eyes. "Just wait for me…Nami…Just two months…Can you wait just two months for me…Nami?" he whispered out loud. Then he clenched his fists and teeth tightly.

'Just two months…'

xxxx

Nami stared out the thick window with lazy eyes. She was leaning against the frame, sitting on the window seat with her knees drawn up. She had one arm dropped across her stomach, while the other one lay limply next to her. She slowly lifted it and touched the window softly. She had been left alone earlier for about two hours before D had come out of the room. She figured he must have fallen asleep.

_Sitting at the rail with her forehead resting on her knees, Nami had been deep in thought. She wasn't sure how long she had been sitting there, but she figured it must have been for about two hours or so. At hearing the cabin door open, she quickly lifted her head. He looked over at her and smirked. She stood up quickly and furrowed her brows at him. He walked up to her casually with the smirk still on his lips. That half smile with furrowed brows, a smile she would hate for awhile._

_When he finally stopped coming towards her, he was practically over her. She turned her head away from him and closed her eyes tightly. He wrapped an arm around her torso and pulled her to him. Since she had been leaning against the rail, he had her legs in between his._

"_Please stop…" she said as she placed her hands on his chest to push him away._

_Ignoring her, he leaned forward and began to nuzzle her exposed neck. "You smell so good…" he said._

_She closed her eyes tighter. He sounded just like him…He began to run his free hand over her arm softly. "Don't do this…" she whispered._

"_Why not…?" he said quietly as he began to place soft kisses up her neck._

"_Because I don't want it!" she said loudly as she began to push harder._

_She halted and opened her eyes slightly as he began to softly chuckle. Just the sound alone caused her to shudder. "You don't want it?" he asked._

"_No! I don't!" she said. Was he laughing at her?!_

_He chuckled more as he moved up to her ear. He licked all the way up the length of it. The orange haired navigator shivered involuntarily. He chuckled again. "Are you sure?" he asked in a very low and amused voice next to her ear._

"_Yes, I'm sure!" she said in a louder voice as she shoved him as hard as she could. He laughed a low, unpleasant sound as he finally moved away from her. She glared at him before taking her turn in the cabin. She slammed the door and then angrily made her way to the window seat. She sat rigidly, expecting him to come through the door. When he didn't, she began to relax._

She had been surprised when he hadn't come in for her. It had already been an hour. She was beginning to get hungry. She turned to the door and finally slowly began to get up. She languidly made her way to the door and opened it. She peered outside, but no one was around. She slipped out and made her way to the kitchen quietly. She quickly and quietly opened the door, slipping inside. She turned and then gasped. There he was sitting at the table. He quickly turned to her in slight surprise, before smirking.

Turning her nose to the air, she made her way to the fridge. Opening it, she looked inside to find something to eat. She pulled out some meat and a few vegetables to make herself a meal. On a second thought, she turned toward him. He was no longer looking at her. He had turned back around.

"A-Are you hungry…?" she asked quietly.

He turned back to her with a serious expression and blinked a few times. Then he smirked at her. "Aa…" he replied. She took the food to the small counter and began to chop up the vegetables. She pulled out some pans and began to cook. When she was done she took a large plate to him and put it down in front of him none to gentle. She turned to walk away, but before she could, he grabbed her wrist. She inhaled sharply and turned toward him. His smirk widened. "I knew you'd warm up to me." he said in a low voice.

She scowled at him. "Don't flatter yourself…" she said as she tried to pull her wrist away from him. However, he wouldn't let it go. He pulled it toward him and kissed her palm softly. She wrenched her wrist free and then went back into the kitchen. He began to chuckle lowly as she grabbed her plate and left the kitchen. She refused to dine with him.

Quickly opening the cabin room door, she stormed in dropping her plate on the desk and plopped down hard. The flustered navigator stared down at her plate as she took a few deep breaths to calm her breathing and racing heart. 'He really has some nerve!' she thought as she frowned deeply. After while, she finally lifted her fork and began to eat slowly. She was pretty sure something was really screwed up about this Luffy. 'What had happened to him to cause him to be this way?' she thought as she frowned.

She was also pretty sure, he wasn't exactly sane…Asking was probably not an option. Considering his personality, he would probably never answer her even if she did. She frowned sadly as she set her fork down. "Luffy…" she whispered out loud. Shaking her head to clear her mind, she then lifted her fork again and continued to eat. She really didn't want to be thinking about it, or him.

After she was done eating, she reluctantly got up to take her plate back to the kitchen. Opening the door, she glanced around but didn't see anyone. She finally stepped out and made her way to the kitchen. She quietly opened the door and peered inside. He was no where to be seen. Sighing in relief, she made her way inside. She walked up to the sink to wash her dish and then froze. The sink was empty. She quickly turned towards the table, pretty sure it had been cleared. It was clear. Then she turned to the stove. The pans she had used weren't there. Even the counters had been cleaned.

Turning back around, she stared at the empty sink in complete confusion. She blinked a few times before looking up and opening the cabinet. The dish was in there…and it had been washed and dried. Staring at the clean dish, she became more and more confused. 'Did he…actually wash his dish…?' she thought. She turned and walked up to the table. It looked as if it had been recently cleaned. 'Did he actually _clean_ after himself and me?!' she thought in disbelief.

She was certain Luffy would never clean up after himself. This was an evil, dark, sick Luffy here, but yet he cleaned up everything?! She furrowed her brows in complete bafflement. It made no sense. She slowly turned back to the sink and began to wash her own dish. She dried it off and placed it in the cupboard. 'Where is he anyway?' she thought as she made her way out of the kitchen. She glanced around on deck, but didn't see him anywhere. 'Is he in the bathroom? Shower maybe?' she thought.

Shrugging, not really caring, she made her way back to the cabin. It was getting pretty late and she was already tired. It had been a long and not so good day. She went inside and sat down on the bed, getting ready to sleep. She stared up at the ceiling with her head leaned back against the wall. She had a lot to think about. This was definitely something she would never have thought to be a possibility, to be kidnapped by an alternate and evil Luffy. Her thoughts were interrupted as the cabin door opened and he walked in.

She quickly turned towards him as he closed the door behind him. He had a towel around his neck, and his hair was still damp from his obvious shower. He walked towards the bed and plopped down on it while towel drying his hair. So he actually took baths. Then she narrowed her eyes. 'Where is he going to sleep?' she thought in some concern. He still hadn't acknowledged her presence, but she was sure he knew she was there.

'He doesn't actually expect to share the room…does he?' she thought as she furrowed her brows, more concerned. After he was done drying off his hair as much as he could, he stood up, throwing the towel over the desk chair. Then he turned back toward her with a serious expression, but then he smirked. She felt herself drawing into herself protectively. He slowly walked up toward the bed, leaning down on it and crawling towards her. She moved over, away from him in slight fear.

However, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back towards him. "Stop it!" she said loudly in slight panic.

"Where are you going?" he asked with amusement in his voice.

"What do you think?! I'll sleep elsewhere!" she said loudly as she tried to pull away.

"No…I don't think so." he said as he pulled on her harder, causing her to fall back onto the bed. "I think you will be sleeping…right here…with me…" he said next to her ear.

She gasped and tried to pull away again. "I will do no such thing!" she half yelled.

Chuckling deep and low, he pulled her back down. "Oh yes…you will." he said in a low and amused voice. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her against him.

Gasping a second time, she stiffened against him. He pulled down the sheets from under them and covered them both. Then he pulled her closer as he moved closer into her. She shut her eyes tightly, wanting to get away from him. She about jumped out of her skin when he began to roam his hands over her body.

"What are you doing?!" she yelled as she tried to pull away from him as panic began to build in her. She gasped as her eyes widened when one of his hands slipped under her shirt. "Stop it!!" she yelled.

He chuckled again next to her ear, and then he began to kiss it. "Why?" he whispered.

"Don't do this…please…" she whispered as tears began to seep through her shut lids.

Hearing him sigh, and then moved away, she slowly opened her eyes. 'Is he going to stop?' she thought as she didn't hear or feel anything else. He had even stopped his hands. However, his grip on her hadn't loosened. After awhile, she could hear his even breathing of sleep. She blinked a few times, and then tried to pull away from him. No matter how hard she tried, she could not loosen his grip.

Groaning in submission, she began to relax. At least she was comfortable…She sighed and then felt herself drifting off to sleep.

xxxx

By the time Luffy made his way out of the bathhouse, it had gotten dark. He made his way to the front of the ship. Everyone else was there sitting or standing around talking. He walked up to the rail and looked down at everyone.

"Oh Luffy! You feelin' better?!" asked Usopp with a smile.

Blinking a few times at his friend, he looked around at everyone else. They were smiling at him. "Aa…" he finally answered. Turning towards the stairs, he then made his way down.

"That's good!" replied Usopp.

Luffy blankly stared at everyone as he made his way to them. "Well…I think I'm ready for sleep…It's been a really long day." said N as she yawned.

L turned to her and smiled. "Good night." he said as he kissed her cheek.

"Good night." she said as she smiled sweetly in return.

"You can sleep in Navigator-san's room…" said Robin as she pointed to the door above.

"Ah, thank you." she said as she made her way to the room. Luffy watched after her with a frown, before looking away.

"Should we work out the sleeping situation?" asked S.

"Aa…there is quite a bit of us…" said Coby with a slight frown.

"Well, we have couches everywhere…Can just pick one and sleep on it…" said Zoro.

"We also have a few extra bunks." said Franky.

"Thanks. It's greatly appreciated." said L as he smiled at everyone.

"I'll be in the crow's nest…So Z you can take my bunk…" said Zoro.

"Thanks." replied Z with a grin.

"There should be enough bunks and the couches in the men's quarters for everyone…I can also sleep in my infirmary." said Chopper.

"Alright! I get a bunk!" exclaimed U as he and Usopp raced for the men's quarters.

"Oi, wait for me!" called Coby as he ran after them. Franky, Z, S and Sanji also followed. L smiled after his friends. Robin had disappeared into the aquarium room.

Everyone seemed to disappear, L and Luffy being the only ones on deck. "I know it must be hard…" said L without looking at Luffy.

Luffy just shrugged. "It's okay…" he responded quietly.

L finally turned to him. "I'm not sure…what I would have done…or how I would have handled it if he had taken Nami from me…" he said softly as his face turned sad. Then he looked at him slightly curious. "Do you…have any…feelings for her?" he asked.

Sighing, Luffy turned his gaze towards the ground and then shrugged. "She's my navigator…" he said quietly.

"Okay…but do you?" L asked again.

"I'm not really sure…I guess…I do want to know her better…but she can be mean and scary sometimes…" he said with an exasperated expression as sweat beaded down his face.

"Mean…? Why would she be mean…?" asked L confused.

Quickly shifting his eyes to L, Luffy looked completely surprise. "You mean your Nami isn't mean?!" he asked.

"No…of course not…Well, she is sometimes to the guys…but not to me…The only reason I can see her being mean is when the guys do idiotic things…" said L as he began to chuckle. "You shouldn't have to worry about that……Unless you do idiotic things……?" he said as he looked at Luffy with a questioning expression.

Luffy was turned away whistling with sweat beading down his face, an exasperated expression and a pinky finger up his nose. "Eh?! How can you possibly do idiotic things?!" asked L loudly.

Luffy quickly whirled. "I don't do idiotic things! I just like adventure and playing games!" he exclaimed loudly.

"Games?! You still play games?!"

"Eh?!...You must be boring……"

"I am not boring!"

"Shishi…You are bo-ring." said Luffy with a mocking smile and voice.

L growled in irritation. "No wonder she's mean to you! You're annoying!" he yelled.

Not being able to help himself, Luffy burst out laughing.Then he calmed down a bit. "Maybe…" he said in a low voice as he slightly turned his body away. "However…if she can't accept me for who I am…Then maybe I don't want to have anything to do with her." he said in a low voice with a slight scoff to his words as he turned his head towards L. He had a serious smile on his face and lazy eyes.

"Ah!" exclaimed L in complete surprise. "Wha…what are you talking about?!" he said as he furrowed his brows.

"I thought you were the smart one…I'm pretty sure I was clear on what I said…" replied Luffy as he shrugged nonchalantly.

"How…how can you say that?" asked L as his expression turned slightly sad.

Shrugging again as he turned away, Luffy then walked away a little. "We are obviously different…It seems we are even the complete opposite of each other. I am the way I am…and you the way you are…We grew up looking up to different people…I can say that…because my circumstances are different from yours…because our personalities are different…because she views us differently." explained Luffy quietly as he turned back to L with a serious expression.

"Well…maybe if you didn't act like such an idiot all the time…she might like you…" said L as he frowned.

Luffy frowned as well. "Maybe I don't want to…I like having fun…I like having adventures…Maybe I don't want to be serious all the time…Maybe you like it…but I don't. I've learned to never take things so seriously…to just have fun while I can…You should try it some time…" he said seriously as he turned away. "Anyway…I'm going to sleep…We've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow…" he said as he made it to the men's quarters and went inside.

Staring after the door for a long while, L wasn't sure what kind of conversation they just had. Sighing to himself, he turned and made his way to the bathhouse.

The next morning, Luffy jolted up and jumped out of bed. "Oi, Sanji! Wake up! Make breakfast! I have training to do!" he said loudly.

Everyone began to stir and roll over not wanting to wake up just yet. "Mm…" mumbled Sanji as he rolled over and placed his pillow over his face.

Getting impatient, he grabbed his covers and pulled them off of him. "Wake up!" he said loudly.

Sanji groaned and looked up at Luffy sleepily. "What are you doing…?" he asked.

"Get up and make breakfast! I need to start training!" replied Luffy.

"Oi…Luffy…it's still early…Go back to sleep…" said Usopp as he covered his face with his covers.

"I can't go back to sleep! I need to train!!" he said loudly. Then he heard chuckling. He turned towards the couches.

L was sitting up chuckling at him. "I guess you're ready…" he said as he stood up.

"Aa!" replied Luffy.

Z and S were also already standing. L turned to S. "Mind making breakfast?" he asked.

"Of course not, sir!" replied S as he saluted and made his way out with a smile. U and Coby were also up and making their beds. Luffy blinked at them.

"We're used to waking up early." replied L without Luffy having to ask.

Nodding, Luffy made his way out to the kitchen. As soon as he entered, S was already chopping vegetables to cook. He sat down at the table, waiting for the food. U, Z, Coby, and L made their way inside and sat down at the table with him. After about ten minutes, N walked in and sat down next to L, kissing his cheek as she did. Luffy glanced towards her, but then looked away. "Good morning." she said as she gave everyone a smile.

"Morning!" everyone replied except for Luffy.

N looked towards Luffy and frowned. "Are you feeling alright?" she asked.

Luffy turned and grinned at her. "Aa! I'm fine!" he replied. N only frowned at him in reply.

After breakfast, everyone began to make their way to the 'training ground'. N grabbed Luffy's arm as he had started to follow everyone. Luffy turned to her with raised brows. "I know you were lying…I know…you must hate that she was taken…and I want to say that…I'm really sorry if we make you feel uncomfortable…" she said.

Relaxing his expression, he looked back at her seriously. "It's not your fault." he replied quietly.

"I just…feel bad…I can't imagine what she must be going through right now…I know that he is you but…there was something really…wrong with him…" she said as she lowered her gaze.

Placing a hand on her shoulder, he smiled at her. She quickly looked up at him. "Don't worry…I think she will be fine. She is strong…She can handle herself." he said.

She frowned sadly and then quickly stepped into him, hugging him. He made a surprised noise as his eyes widened. "I also know you are trying to be strong. You must be worried out of your mind…I can tell you are feeling frustrated and helpless…I do hope everything works out…Just…if you need to talk to anyone…just tell me, okay?" she said as she pulled away from him. He stared down into her face seriously and then nodded. She smiled up at him faintly before nodding and then passing him, making her way to L, who had been watching with a sad frown.

Luffy stood where he was for a long while before turning towards them and continuing on. Everyone else turned and continued on as well.

xxxx

Stirring in her sleep, Nami eyes fluttered opened at feeling pressure against her. She almost jumped when she felt lips begin to kiss down her neck. Shivering, she quickly tried to pull away, only to be greeted with resistance. "Stop it!" she said as she struggled against his hold. Hearing him chuckle, she was then suddenly released in which she quickly got out of the bed. She turned back to him with a deep frown. He only grinned up at her in his usual, horrible way as he leaned up on his hand.

Walking around the bed, she made her way out to the deck. She really wanted to take a shower, but was seriously afraid to. What if he tried something while she was in there…? Frowning, she turned towards the bathroom. However, she felt incredibly dirty and just needed to feel the water on her skin. Turning toward the cabin, she noticed he had yet to come out. She quickly dashed for the bathroom and shut the door. She quickly removed her clothes and turned on the water.

Grabbing the soap, she quickly lathered it and began to wash herself. After she washed her body, she washed her hair quickly. Rinsing off as fast as possible, she turned off the water, grabbed a towel to dry off, and then put her clothes back on. She made her way out, feeling relieved. Looking around, she noticed no one was on deck. She vaguely wondered if that Dabara guy had eaten. She made her way to the kitchen and went inside. Both D and Dabara were sitting at the table talking. They turned to her as she entered. Looking away from them, not wanting to meet either's gaze, she made her way into the kitchen. Both of them made her feel uncomfortable, both were bad people.

She frowned at this thought. Thinking of someone who was Luffy as bad, made her feel kind of sad. She opened the fridge door and began to pull out food to cook. It seemed they had an unspoken understanding that she was the ship's cook. Nice of them to nominate her without asking…She sighed as she began to chop vegetables. She was kind of grateful she had watched Sanji cook a few times. It wasn't as if she didn't know how to from the beginning. However, it helped to know a little more.

Not that she honestly wanted to be catering to a bunch of criminals. They both continued to converse quietly, something about strong people and dimensions. Suddenly, D turned to her. "Oi." he called.

She glanced up at him with a frown. "What?" she asked.

"Who is strong here?" he asked.

Shrugging, she glanced back down at the food she was preparing. "I don't really know…" she replied. Not that she didn't, but she would be damned if she told him anything.

He scoffed before turning back to Dabara. She glanced up and glared at his back before looking back down at the food, finishing up the preparation. After she was done, she served herself and then left the room. She would be damned if she served him again. She could hear his chuckles as the door closed behind her. His laughter was really beginning to irritate her. Making her way into the cabin, she sat at the desk and began to eat. After she finished eating, she glanced down at her clothes. How was she going to get more…? She couldn't possibly wear the same clothes for four months straight.

Frowning, she knew she didn't have the money and didn't want to steal it. Of course, she would never tell him anything about wanting, or needing anything. He might make her 'pay' for it in some way. She was also pretty sure he didn't have the money either. After awhile, she sighed and stood up to take her plate to the kitchen. When she walked out, she noticed D was leaning against the railing, staring off at the sea. Turning away from him, she made her way to the kitchen.

Walking in, she made her way to the sink. Glancing over at the stove, she noticed the pan and utensils she had used were no longer their. She frowned curiously and continued towards the sink. Looking in, she could see there were no dishes. He had cleaned up again. Turning on the water, and placing her dish in the sink, she began to wash it. She dried it off when she was done, and placed it back into the cupboard. Checking the other cabinets, she found the recently washed pan, cleaned and dried inside.

She was really beginning to wonder about this Luffy. He was on a completely different scale than Luffy. He seemed to constantly confuse her. Slowly closing the cabinet door, she finally turned and made her way out. She stood in front of the closed door and just watched him for awhile. He was still standing next to the rail and staring out to sea. Frowning, she slowly turned away, making her way back to the cabin. Stopping just outside the door, she turned to him again. 'Maybe I should try talking to him…' she thought to herself.

As if knowing she was watching him, he turned just his head towards her. Seeing her, he smirked at her. She turned her nose up at him, and then opened the door, stepping inside and closing the door. She took a deep breath. 'Never mind…' she thought to herself. She then began to explore through all of the closets and compartments of the room. Laughing gleefully, she pulled out some map paper, ink, and pen hidden in one of the compartments.

She quickly made her way to the desk, setting them down gently. Sitting down, she opened the ink, hoping it was still good. It was. She grinned and then carefully dipped the pen, and then began to sketch a map to pass some time. She wasn't even sure she would be able to keep these. However, it was something to do. Sketching line for line from memory of the latest island, she began to feel a little better. When she was half way done, she held it up for inspection.

"Not bad…"

Gasping, she quickly turned to see D glancing over her shoulder at her map. "When did you…?" she started to ask. She hadn't even heard him enter the room.

"Been standing here for awhile…" he replied with his smirk.

Furrowing her brows, she glanced to his left ear. 'Since when had those been there?!' she thought. His smirk widened. "I've had them for a long time…" he said as he lost his smirk, answering her question without her having to ask. It was as if he knew exactly what she was thinking. Nami was finding his quick mood changes odd. She shifted her eyes to him, and then back to his ear. There were two golden looped earrings in his ear.

"When did you...put those on?" she asked.

Shrugging, he turned away. "Just now…" he said. She hadn't even noticed he had had a hole in his ear. It didn't seem he intended on elaborating. He walked over to the bed and sat down on it.

She continued to keep her eyes on him. He was just staring at the ground. Furrowing her brows, she wondered what he was thinking about. Then suddenly, he leaned back and fell onto his side, facing away from her. She frowned at him. 'What was wrong with him…?' she thought. Turning back around, she continued to sketch her map. As long as he wasn't trying anything on her, she didn't really mind him being in the room. She was a bit confused about his reply on the earring. He didn't really seem happy about them… 'So then why did he get it pierced?' she thought confusedly.

The more and more she stayed with him, the more and more he seemed to confuse her. She also wondered what his problem was…Turning back around, she sent him one more glance. He still hadn't moved from where he was. Sighing quietly, she turned back and continued on her map. 'Maybe…maybe I should try and talk to him…I wonder…if he would talk to me…' she thought as she frowned sadly. He seemed kind of sad and troubled to her. Or maybe it was just her imagination.

Perhaps, that's just how he was in that world. Maybe he just didn't have the same personality as Luffy did, or even L for that matter. Perhaps he even had a different upbringing. Had he met Shanks? What about Ace and Garp? What made him so…dark…? Frowning deeper, she continued to sketch the lines. She was extremely curious about him. She kind of wanted to know about him. He was still Luffy after all. She wanted to know his past. Why he was the way he was. To her, he seemed to not all be there. That thought also made her sad…'What had happened to him?' she thought as she turned and looked at him again sadly.

He still hadn't moved from where he was. Getting up, she quietly made it over to him. Peering over cautiously, she tried to see if she could see if he were asleep. He had in fact fallen asleep. Her expression relaxed as she watched him sleep. A person would never know anything was wrong with him. He looked so peaceful. He looked just like Luffy…The only difference was his hair, and his earring. She leaned further over, peering down at him more. She was extremely curious about this man.

Suddenly, his eyes flutter opened and he looked up at her with a hooded, sleepy gaze. Gasping, she rocked back on her heels and was about to move away. However, he reached up, grabbing her arm and pulled her down onto the bed with him.

"Stop it!" she said as she tried to get away. Then suddenly, he began to tickle her. Despite not wanting to be near him, she began to laugh. She was still ticklish after all. "Haha! Stop it!" she said as she continued to try and get away from him. She looked over at him, gasped and stopped laughing. He was smiling…Not smirking, but smiling. It was such a warm and gentle smile. Then suddenly, he began to blink and seemed to focus. He inhaled sharply and pulled away from her quickly.

The confused navigator immediately jumped off the bed and away from him. She turned back to him with a slight frown. He looked bewildered and surprised. 'Had he not realized what he had done?' she thought as his brows furrowed deeper. He began to blink his eyes rapidly as he stared up at her, before shifting his gaze downward and bringing a hand to his forehead. Then he quickly got up and left the room. 'What was that about?' she thought as she stared at the closed door confused.

D stood just outside the door, breathing heavily. Staring down at the ground, he took a few deep breaths. He had been half asleep, and for a second forgot who he was, where he was, and when he was. His eyes narrowed slightly. It didn't matter. He turned and made his way to the front of the ship.

**To Be Continued…**

**Author's Note: **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! XD Let me know about it, BY REVIEWING! XD


	4. Chapter 4: Break Down

Crossed

**Author's Note: **I know, I know! I'm sorry! It took me a really long time to get this chapter down. I get distracted easily and then I had a really hard time with some context. But I came through and finally finished it! XD So here it is folks! Chapter 4! I really hope you like it! I have a few surprises in here for you guys. I hope you enjoy them! Please remember to review, I love to read your thoughts and enjoy! XD

**Crossed**

**Chapter 4: Break Down**

Both crews sat or stood some distance watching both L and Luffy as they fought. An hour and a half had already passed. "I think Luffy has improved a great deal since yesterday." yelled Sanji over the loud chaos of the fight.

"Aa, I agree." said Zoro.

"He is quite impressive. I can't believe he has managed to slightly surpass our captain." said Z in some awe.

"Aa…I think his will might be greater than Captain's…" remarked S.

"I-It is pretty amazing…" said U.

"Aa…" agreed Coby.

"His will is not greater…He's just stubborn…" scoffed Franky.

Everyone laughed softly. "Aa…I think Franky is right. He is also determined." said Zoro.

"I just hope he can become strong enough to get Nami back…" said Usopp with a frown.

"Oi! Of course Luffy can become strong enough to get Nami-san back! He has to! Other wise that bastard might…" started Sanji. However, he stopped himself and took a few deep breaths.

"We need to become stronger too…Just in case…Captain might need us." said Z.

"I agree…I say we also train instead of watch." agreed Zoro.

"Maybe we can all train together."

Everyone turned to see both L and Luffy breathing heavily, but grinning at them. Both Zoro's and Sanji's grinned at the two in return. The Usopp's and Coby seemed nervous. Franky also had a grin on his face.

"Are you sure about that Captain?" asked Z seriously.

"Aa…We could use the help." replied L with a smile.

"Aa! You are all strong! We can handle it. Although, to make it harder on us, you should all attack us all at once." said Luffy with a mischievous grin.

Smirking as he stood, Zoro began stretching his arms. "Alright, sounds like fun." he said.

The rest of the crews stood up or stepped forward. "Usopp, U, both of you can just help us with our dodging skills. Fire at us randomly and we will have to manage to dodge you and everyone else. We promise we won't attack you…" said L with a fond smile.

Both Usopp's sagged and breathed easier. "Phew…" they both exclaimed in relief. Luffy chuckled at them.

Both Z and Zoro removed their swords and got into position. Luffy and L also got into position. Sanji and S stood to the side, also ready. Franky grinned and prepared himself to attack. Usopp and U stood some distance and began to load their sling shots.

"Is everyone ready?" asked L as he glanced from one face to another.

"Aa!" they all replied.

He grinned and nodded. "Good!" he replied.

L and Luffy shifted their eyes to each of their crew mates, trying to figure out who would make the first move and to where. Both Z and Zoro began to circle around them slowly, looking for an opening. L and Luffy kept their eyes on them. Because of this, they almost missed the attacks from S and Sanji.

Both dodged just before the powerful legs plowed into them. However, as soon as they landed, they had to both dodge powerful swipes from swords. L leaned completely back as sweat beaded down his face from the blade that swiped just inches above his face. This was going to be much harder then he thought.

Meanwhile, back at the ship, both women were sitting out on deck in silence. Chopper approached them showing slight concern. "Do you think they will be okay?" he asked tentatively.

"I'm sure they will be just fine. They know what they are doing." replied Robin fondly to the little reindeer.

Sighing, N closed her eyes. "I still don't like this. I know there isn't any other way for them to become stronger quicker, but…I just hate that they have to fight each other." she said.

Robin only chuckled. This Nami seemed far gentler than the one she was used to. She wondered what brought this upon this Nami. Maybe it had something to do with the other Luffy's gentle and calm personality. Both Luffy's seemed to be on completely opposite ends of the same pole. Although, the third Luffy was on a whole new pole of his own. Frowning slightly in remembrance of the other Luffy, Robin sighed trying not to think too much on it. He was a pretty sore subject with everyone right now.

They all still couldn't believe someone who was Luffy could have gone so wrong. What had made him that way? All she could think about was, it had to be something really bad. Not only that, but this Luffy gone wrong had one of their nakama, and seemed to have ill intentions towards her. Frowning deeper, she glanced towards the deck. She really hoped they could become stronger faster. She would help if she thought she could be of some use, but her abilities may not be what they need.

"Robin, are you alright?" asked Chopper.

Perking up, slightly startled, she looked up at the little reindeer quickly. Then she smiled gently. "Ee…I'm alright." she replied.

"I think we all have a lot on our minds since yesterday…I really hope she is alright. I'm pretty sure she can take care of herself, and I keep telling myself that, but I can't help but to worry. I mean, she is me and…she is probably going through hell right now…She is probably scared and…" N stopped her sentence as she brought her hands to each side of her head and lowered it. "I don't want to even think about it…" she whispered.

Robin frowned at the obviously hurting girl. "I just can't imagine Luffy…hurting anyone…Especially…especially…not like that…" whispered N. Lowering her gaze as well, Robin frowned sadly. She couldn't imagine Luffy doing any such thing either. "Would he…really kill some one? Has he…killed anyone?" whispered N more to herself. The third Luffy really bothered her.

"I'm sure he wouldn't really kill anyone!" exclaimed Chopper.

Robin turned to him with her frown. Hadn't both L and Luffy said he had meant what he said? "I'd like to believe that…Chopper…but I don't think it's true…I have a bad feeling about him. I could feel it the moment I saw him. I ask those questions, but I think I know the answer to them…" replied N quietly.

Chopper looked at her in surprise before lower his head sadly. She had still yet to raise her head. "Everything will work out…It has too…" said Chopper as he began to tear up.

"I know…but I can't help but to worry about this whole thing. What if…they can't defeat him…? What if he…?" she started to say.

"Perhaps we shouldn't think like that. I'm sure neither Luffy nor L would want us to think like that. We must have faith in them." said Robin comfortingly and firmly.

Finally raising her head, N looked over at Robin. Then she looked away slightly. "Un…I guess you're right…No…I know you are…I just…" she stopped and sighed. Then she perked up with a determined look. "Never mind, I'm okay now. I have faith in them. I have faith…in him too. I have faith that he would never…hurt her." she said with conviction.

Robin smiled fondly. "Ee…I believe so too." she said gently. Both women smiled as best they could at one another. They could only hope that this were true.

Luffy panted as he hid behind the tree. He glanced around it to see if he could see anything. The fighting had spread out and become hectic. He grinned to himself. But it was extremely exhilarating and fun. He needed to catch his breath and rest a little. They had been fighting already for over three hours. He made a loud noise as he quickly dropped to the ground. Just as he did, the tree was sliced in half. Quickly getting up, he made a run for it. He dropped to the ground again as he felt a strong powerful force fly past his head. Getting up again, he turned to Z with a grin.

Z began to advance on him slowly. He made another loud noise as he quickly bent over backwards when someone came flying at him. He watched as Sanji flew over him. He stood up straighter as he got into position to attack both. However, he quickly moved to the side as a lead ball whizzed passed him. Then he had to dodge another of Z's attacks. He needed to make an attack of his own. He had spent most of the hour only dodging attacks.

As soon as Sanji jumped at him with another quick, he quickly grabbed Sanji's leg, swinging him around and throwing him at Z. Both made loud noises as Sanji landed on Z. He lunged forward not giving either a chance to recover. Grabbing them both, he slammed both of their heads against one another. Both cried out and grabbed their heads.

Suddenly, someone appeared before him and kicked him. Luffy cried out as he was sent flying. Coby continued after him and pulled his arm back to punch. Luffy grabbed his arm mid air, leaning back pulling Coby up over him. Coby cried out in slight surprise. Then suddenly, he lifted his legs and kicked Coby hard in his gut, sending him flying over him. Luffy hit the ground hard from the force of his kick, but quickly got up again. Z recovered quickly, lunging for Luffy and swiped one of his swords at him.

Luffy jumped back and then had to dodge another lead ball. Jumping forward, he punched Z in the face. Z cried out as he was sent flying. Sanji kicked up at him from the ground, catching him off guard.

Crying out from the blow, Luffy went flying backwards. He landed on his back, skidding across the ground. After coming to a stop, he reached up and grabbed his jaw. "Te te te…" he said from the pain as he spit out blood. Then he rolled over as a blade sliced just beside him.

Getting up, he jumped up and kicked Z and at the same time blocked Sanji's attack. Since he had been mid air, he was pushed back and slammed into a tree. He dropped again as a blade sliced where his body had once been. He lunged from the ground, head butting Z in the stomach, which brought them both to the ground. Then he flipped off, just as Sanji brought a leg down. However, his led landed on Z instead. Z cried out in pain and rolled over onto his side as he grabbed a hold of his stomach.

"Ah! Sorry!" exclaimed Sanji.

"It…It's okay…Really…" said Z, still in pain.

Suddenly, Sanji was sent flying by a punch. Not having a choice, Z quickly recovered clutching his swords tighter. The marine swordsman didn't stay standing for long. A punch was delivered to his gut, bringing him down to his knees.

Having similar problems, L dodged all three attacks before landing a blow onto S. Zoro came up and quickly attacking him with his swords. He jumped backwards to get away from the sharp blades. Franky pointed his arm out to him and fired it. "Strong right!" he yelled as he did.

L jumped back again to dodge that, but slammed into a tree. He quickly moved to the side as S plowed into the tree. Quickly turning, L slammed his fist into S' face. He cried out as he twirled around and crumpled to the ground. Not wasting any time, L quickly lunged for Franky, tackling him to the ground. He punched him before rolling off and then heading for Zoro. Zoro also lunged for him as L came at him. He crossed his swords and uncrossed them as L reached him. However, L disappeared and appeared just under Zoro, punching him in the gut.

Falling to his knees, Zoro then fell to his side, trying to catch his breath. L let his guard down and was pegged by multiple lead balls from some where in the jungle. He cried out from the stinging pain and then a kick plowed into his back. He flew some distance, landing next to a startled Usopp.

"Eeep!!" screeched Usopp as he scurried away and disappeared into the jungle.

L slowly stood up. He was achy and tired, but refused to stop now. He turned just in time to be greeted with a punch to the face by Franky. He cried out as he slammed through many trees, knocking them down. Luffy stopped running and quickly looked over to the loud crashing noise. Suddenly, a body slammed into him, sending them both flying. They landed in a rubber heap some distance away.

Both groaned as they tried to sit up. Many bodies surrounded them. They both looked up to see everyone grinning down at them. "Had enough?" asked Zoro with a smirk.

"Nope!" replied Luffy as he jumped to his feet with a grin.

L stood up a bit calmer. "Absolutely not." he replied with a smile.

"Good…I would have been disappointed if you had." he replied as his smirk widened.

Both chuckled and then jumped away as the training continued.

xxxx

The orange haired beauty had again been left alone. She now sat at, what she saw as her desk now. What had happened an hour ago still confused her. He had seemed just as confused. The map she had started was now almost finished. Sighing to herself, she set her pen down. She wanted to talk to him now more than ever after what had happened. However, she was much too afraid to talk to him about anything. How was she going to get through this? Did she really have to endure four months of this, four months of his advances, four months of his obvious insanity?

Blanching slightly, she glanced downward. Closing her eyes, she hugged herself tightly. "I want to go back to Sunny…I want to go back home…" she whispered out loud.

Lying on the roof of the cabin, D glared up at the sky broodingly. He had had a dream of something he didn't want to remember. When he had woken fully, that woman had been there instead. He had been a little startled and confused. He hadn't even realized he had fallen asleep. At first, he hadn't realized it was a dream. However, he had woken up. He narrowed his eyes further. Dreams…He could live without those…and most definitely without the nightmares. Closing his eyes tightly, he took a deep breath.

He hated thinking of that time, but even so, he still found himself thinking about it. He didn't remember much, only of recent time passed. Sitting up, he glanced at the vast sea ahead of him. Then his face twisted into a deep scowl. He lowered his head as he brought up a hand to each side of his face, groaning slightly as his breathing quickened. He began to growl as he lowered his head still, touching his forehead to the roof of the cabin. He suddenly, jerked up and slammed his head down onto the roof.

Growling again, he continued to hold his head as a small stream of blood trickled down his forehead. Then he began to chuckle quietly, which after awhile, turned into laughter. It wasn't a pleasant sound. The maniacal sound lingered in the air around him. He lifted his head, dragging his hands down his face roughly as he laughed, spreading the blood down his face. Then he scowled again as he stood up. Jumping off of the roof, he made his way to the bathroom. He turned on the water in the sink, filling it up, and then dunked his head into the water.

Gasping loudly at the loud thump from the roof, Nami quickly turned and looked up at the ceiling. 'What was that?!' she thought to herself as she tried to get her heart to slow back down. Then she could hear muffled noises. She slowly stood up and walked into the room a bit. After awhile, she heard a loud thump just outside the door. Furrowing her brows, she slowly made her way to the door. Staring at the closed door, the uncertain navigator hesitantly opened it.

Peering out from the room, she glanced around, but didn't see anything. The hesitant orange haired woman finally stepped out from the room and looked around. Not seeing anything, she stepped away from the cabin and looked up towards the roof. She still didn't see anything. She walked over to the kitchen and looked inside, but no one was there. She walked towards the bathroom and noticed the door was slightly opened. She tentatively looked inside. She had no idea why her curiosity was getting the better of her, but she just couldn't help herself.

Gasping at seeing D with his head under water and the water being a sickly red color, she ran to him and pulled him out of the water. "What are you doing?!" she yelled.

D gasped taking in the air he had almost run out of. He was also startled at being pulled out of the water all of a sudden. He ran his hands through his soaked hair, pulling it away from his face, and looked at the woman who had been screaming at him. "W-What happened?! You're bleeding!" she said as she ran and grabbed a towel. He could only blink at her in complete confusion.

Running back to him, she gently placed the towel on his forehead, which caused him to jerk backwards. Frowning, Nami tried again. "Let me clean it up…" she said as she stepped towards him again. She gently began to wipe away the blood. Glancing down, she noticed he had gotten blood on his white vest. "You got blood all over your vest…It's going to need to be cleaned." she said quietly.

Smirking slowly, he reached up and unbuttoned his vest and pulled it off. Nami gasped and blushed slightly as he did this. "What are you doing?!" she yelled.

"It needs to be washed, right?" he said as he held out the vest.

"I didn't mean take it off now!" she said.

"Why not?" he asked as he stepped closer to her.

The now nervous navigator was beginning to regret coming in there. She took a step back. "I just…It's not necessary! I-I could do it later!" she said nervously.

"But the blood will stain such a pure white color…It would be…tainted…" he said as his horrible smirk widened as he continued to approach her.

"Stop it!" she yelled in a bit of a panic as she felt resistance behind her.

D continued toward her, dropping the vest on the floor and placing both hands on the wall behind her on each side of her head. "Why should I?" he asked as he began to nuzzle her neck.

Nami reached up both hands and began to push at him as hard as she could. "Get away from me!" she said.

He only chuckled as he began to lick her neck and throat. Cringing, Nami closed her eyes tightly. "You taste so good…" he whispered in her ear.

The frightened navigator felt herself shiver. "Please stop…" she whispered as she pushed on him harder.

He finally leaned back and scoffed at her. Slowly opening her eyes, she turned back to look at him. He was frowning at her bitterly. She honestly didn't care. Then he turned his back on her. What she saw made her gasp loudly as a hand flew to her mouth. D turned his head back to her with a bored expression. Then he shifted his eyes downward to his back and then looked back up at her again as he scoffed a second time. "You act like you've never seen one before…" he said coldly as he glanced pointedly at hers.

Blinking a few times to recover from her shock, she continued to stare at his back. On it was a large dragon tattoo that covered almost the full of his back. He turned around fully as he looked at her and then he began to smirk. "It's…really big…" she said.

He began to chuckle nastily as he approached her again. "You think so?" he asked as he stopped in front of her. "How would you know? I haven't shown you yet…" he said as his smirk turned horrible.

Blushing, Nami gasped at his horrible remark. She whipped her hand across his face. "You're insane!" she yelled, having had enough of his behavior.

Slowly turning back to her, D began to smirk again, and then he began to chuckle, which soon turned to laughter. Nami blinked a few times at him as she backed further into the wall. "Insane?" he said as he continued to laugh. Then suddenly, his face turned into a nasty scowl as he grabbed a jar that was on a shelf next to her and threw it hard and fast towards the wall, shattering the mirror and the wall behind it. Nami instinctively sunk to the ground, covering her head and screamed from his sudden and terrifying action.

Then he turned back to her just as quickly as he threw the jar. "_Insane_?!" he yelled as he approached her, closing the distance. Nami cringed further into herself as she looked up at him. She was terrified of this man and unsure of what he might do. "_I wonder why that is_?!" he yelled loudly. Then suddenly, he began to chuckle nastily as he covered his face with his hands, with his fingers spread out while continuing to stare at her.

Beginning to tremble in slight fear, Nami continued to stare up at him with wide, fear filled eyes. He really was insane. No longer wanting to be near him, she quickly got up and ran out of the room. She ran for the cabin, quickly running in and slamming the door shut behind her. She held it closed, afraid he may come after her. When he didn't, she began to sink to the ground as she shook violently. Tears came to her eyes as she dry hiccupped, covering her mouth as she began to sob into her hand.

It was horrible…His face was so horrible. It looked so pained and terrifying. What had happened to him? She had been so terrified of him. "I don't want to be here anymore…I want to go back home…" she said out loud as she continued to sob loudly as she hugged herself tightly.

Breathing heavily, D stared at the open doorway for a long while as he growled to himself. Finally, he walked over to the sink and broken mirror. Reaching down, he picked up a piece of the mirror, squeezing it tightly in his hand. He felt the sharp piece of glass pierce his palm. Slowly closing his eyes, he let the pain wash over his body. He could feel the blood begin to seep out from his hand and could hear it drip into the full sink below. He grunted from the pain and took a few deep breaths.

Gradually, he could feel himself calming down. He dropped the piece of glass into the sink and looked down into it. He had made a mess. He frowned and then slowly began to pick up each piece of glass carefully as to not cut himself.

xxxx

L, Luffy and both crews were laid out in separate areas of the jungle, but still near by each other. All panted loudly in exhaustion. "I think…it's safe…to say…that we…are done…for the day…" said L in between pants. His entire body ached terribly.

"Aa…" everyone agreed tiredly.

Eventually, they all staggered to their feet and dragged themselves back to the ship.

N turned towards the jungle. The horrible and loud noises had finally stopped about twenty minutes ago. She wondered if they were all okay. Suddenly, the guys all began to board, or rather drop onto the deck of the ship. Gasping, N quickly stood and made her way to them.

"Look at you!" she said in concern at them all. They were all dirty, bloody, injured, and torn up.

Both L and Luffy grinned tiredly. "Shishishi…It's fine! We're fine!" replied Luffy.

"You don't look fine!!" she yelled.

"Ah! N-swan is worried about us! It makes me so happy!" exclaimed Sanji with his love-love eyes. However, he was too tired and injured to move.

"Of course I'm worried! Look at all of you! You look horrible! There's so much blood! Have you no self control at all?!" she yelled.

"It's the only way to get strong, Nami…We will be fine." said Luffy as he grinned at her. Then he lost his smile. N made a small noise as her expression turned concerned and sad. Luffy stood up. "We should all clean up before we eat…" he said as he lowered his gaze, concealing his eyes, and headed for the bath house.

Everyone else frowned, before following him to the bathhouse. N watched after him sadly. "Luffy…" she whispered before hugging herself slightly and closing her eyes. She sighed deeply before turning and going back to her chair. Robin watched her come back to her chair with a sad frown, before glancing towards the back of the ship. She couldn't imagine what her captain must be going through.

As the guys passed the infirmary, Chopper came outside to greet them. "Ah!" he cried at seeing how badly injured they were. "You over did it again! But this time all of you did!" he said as he ran back inside. He grabbed his pack and then ran back out, following them into the bath house. He would patch them up after they had cleaned up. Everyone had cleaned up, had been patched up by Chopper, and were already on deck, except for Luffy. He had asked Chopper to patch everyone else up first. He and Chopper were alone in the bathhouse as Chopper slowly patched him up.

"Are you okay, Luffy?" asked Chopper in concern.

"Aa…" replied Luffy quietly, which caused the little reindeer to frown sadly.

"You've been awfully quiet…" he said tentatively and quietly.

"Have I…?" asked Luffy, who seemed to only be paying half attention.

Leaning up and looking around to his face, Chopper frowned. Luffy's eyes were half closed and he was just staring down at the ground. He looked sad. "Luffy…?" called Chopper in concern.

Luffy slowly looked over at him, his expression never changing. "Hmm…" he hummed.

"Luffy are you alright?!" asked Chopper as he ran to Luffy's front, placing a hoofed foot onto Luffy's forehead.

Blinking rapidly, Luffy finally snapped out of his state of mind, realizing he was worrying his friend. "Ah, I'm sorry." he said as he looked down at the worried little reindeer.

"Luffy, what's wrong?" asked Chopper with a worried frown.

Grinning, he leaned forward. "Nothing, I'm okay! I was just thinking is all!" he replied to the little reindeer.

"Thinking?" asked Chopper as his frown turned slightly confused.

"Aa! Thinking!" replied Luffy still with his grin and a nod.

"Thinking about what?" asked Chopper.

"Hmm…about getting stronger…" he replied quietly, looking down again.

"Are you getting stronger?" asked the little reindeer with wide eyes.

Looking up, Luffy smiled at the slightly awed little friend. "I guess I have…" he replied.

Chopper perked up and grinned. "Really?!" he asked enthusiastically.

"Shishi, aa!" replied Luffy with a strong nod.

"That's amazing Luffy!!" exclaimed Chopper in excitement and awe. Luffy laughed and pat Chopper on his head. He seemed to be in a much better mood now.

Both friends made their way out of the bathhouse when Chopper was done bandaging him up. "Thanks Chopper! I feel much better now." he said.

"Really? You do?" asked Chopper with a big grin.

"Aa! I'm hungry now! Shishishi!" exclaimed Luffy with a massive grin. They made their way into the dining room, where everyone else was waiting. S and Sanji were in the kitchen still preparing the meal.

N smiled at him. "Are you feeling better Luffy?" she asked.

Luffy grinned at her. "Aa! Chopper fixed me right up!" he replied as he sat down at the table.

She slightly frowned at his reply. That wasn't quite what she was asking. "I see…" she said.

During the meal, Luffy seemed to be more cheerful. He ate like he normally did and talked with everyone. N leaned closer to L. "Looks like he is feeling a little better. Has he gotten stronger?" she whispered.

L leaned closer to her. "He has improved a great deal. He still seems a bit mopey and pouty, but I'm sure he will be just fine." replied L.

N laughed softly. Luffy was indeed mopey and pouty. She actually found it to be rather cute and sweet. It wouldn't hurt if L acted like that every now and then. She knew he was worried about his Nami, but was trying hard not to worry everyone else. Perhaps she should try talking to him about it later.

After everyone ate and began to make their way out, N approached Luffy. "Luffy…?" she called uncertainly.

Turning to her, he smiled at her cheerfully. "Aa?" he replied.

"I was wondering if…I could possibly…talk to you?" she asked tentatively.

Blinking at her a few times, he finally grinned and nodded. "Aa!" he replied.

Both walked back into the dining area and took a seat. "I had told you if you needed anyone to talk to, that you could come to me." she started off saying.

"Aa, that's right." he said in confirmation.

"Well…you haven't come to me Luffy." she said with a bit of a frown.

"Come to you?" he asked as he blinked some more.

"That's right. You never came to me when you needed someone to talk to." she said.

"I'm okay, I'm okay! I don't need to ta-…"

"Luffy." said N in a way he knew that she knew he was lying.

Sagging a bit, he looked down at the table. "I'm fine…" he said quietly.

"Luffy…I know you're not fine…I understand that you are trying not to worry everyone, but I see it…I see how bothered you are. I can see how sad you are. Luffy, please talk to me…I may not…be her exactly…but…I want to help…" she said softly.

He looked up at her sheepishly through his lashes. "I don't want them to worry…" he said quietly.

Her frown deepened and turned slightly sad. "I know you don't…However, it doesn't mean you have to keep it all inside Luffy…You can talk to me…or you can even talk to L if you feel more comfortable doing so…" she said.

Shifting his eyes away from her, his eyes closed slightly. "It's…a little weird talking to you…" he said quietly.

Sighing, she leaned back in her chair. "I understand…" she replied and then looked back up at him. "Do you want me to get L?" she asked, looking a little sad.

"No, it's fine! I…I will talk to you…" he replied with a frown.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"A-Aa…" he replied.

"Alright…" she said as she leaned forward. "Let's start with what you told L." she said.

"Eh?" he questioned as he stared at her blankly.

"About what you said about your Nami…" she said.

"About…" he started and then his expression turned serious. "He told you about that, huh?" he said more than asked.

"Of course he did…We tend to tell each other everything." she explained. Then she frowned. "It was really bothering him that you said that…Want to tell me about it?" she asked.

Pouting, he looked away from her. "Not really…" he replied quietly.

"Luffy…" she said as she reached for his hand. However, he jerked his hand away in some surprise. He quickly looked down at her hand and then looked at her. Her frown deepened and turned sad. "Luffy…tell me the truth…How do you feel about her?" she asked softly.

Pouting again, he placed his chin on the table. "I don't want to talk about that…" he said.

"Why not?" she asked as she leaned forward more.

He looked away from her. "Because…" he replied.

"Because isn't an answer…" she said as she narrowed her eyes.

"Well…it's my answer…" he said in his pouty way.

N smiled helplessly, yet warmly at his pouty attitude. She couldn't help but think his behavior rather cute. If L ever acted like that…she might find herself smothering him with hugs. "If I'm not mistaken…you care about her more than you care to admit…Seeing as…you refuse to admit it…" she said.

Quickly glancing at her, he frowned deeply. "She is my Nakama! Of course I care!" he said.

She shook her head at him. "Mm…I didn't mean as a Nakama…" she said as she looked at him with a smile.

"What did you mean then?" he asked as he frowned and pouted again.

"I meant as a woman…" she replied.

He looked at her surprised. "Ah…" he exclaimed. Then his face turned serious as he frowned slightly. Sighing, he looked down at the table. "She frustrates me some times…" he admitted very quietly.

Making a small breathy noise, she furrowed her brows at him. "What do you mean?" she asked.

He pouted again, looking away from her. "She…is always mad at me…and…everything I do…makes her mad…I can't be myself without her hitting me…or yelling at me…but I like who I am and…don't see why she…doesn't like me…" he babbled almost incoherently.

Only able to blink at his babbling, N felt herself smiling slowly. "I see…" she replied quietly and not wanting to spook him into not saying anymore. "Go on…" she said with a warm smile.

Turning to look at her, his pout turned into a frown. "She hits me a lot! She calls me an idiot all the time! She hates almost everything I do! She never shares her mikan! She's always grumpy or in a bad mood! Always complains about everything! I don't understand why she doesn't like me like I like her!" He suddenly realized what he had just blurted out as he made a loud noise and his eyes widened. Then he looked away in slight embarrassment at having just said that.

Smiling in complete understanding, N leaned forward further. "I see. So then you _do_ have feelings for her…Then you lied to L?" she asked with a sly smile.

Quickly turning to her, he frowned. "I didn't lie!" he exclaimed.

"But you weren't honest…" she said.

Not being able to reply to that, he just made a small noise as he furrowed his brows. After awhile, he slowly looked away. "I was honest…" he finally said quietly.

N raised her brows. "Oh?" she questioned him to go on.

"If she doesn't like me then…" he started to say and then he sighed. "It doesn't matter…" he said after awhile.

"I think it's safe to say she likes you…" she said as she smiled.

He turned back to her with an uncertain expression. "Why do you say that?" he asked.

"Because I would if I were her." she replied with a gentle smile.

This however only made him frown sadly. "Maybe…but you're nicer than her." he said quietly.

"Perhaps…I have to admit we are a bit different…Just like you and L are different." she said as she continued to smile at him.

"Different?! We're complete opposites! He doesn't even like playing games! He's boring!" exclaimed Luffy with a deep frown as he stuck his tongue out.

Blinking, N looked at him in slight surprise. "Doesn't play games? What makes you say that he doesn't play games?" she asked.

Luffy blinked at her in return. "He plays games?" he asked.

"Of course he does…We play chess all the time…" she said.

Suddenly, Luffy slammed his hands on the table and stood up quickly. "He lied to me!" he exclaimed loudly.

N sat back in surprise of his sudden action and outburst. "Lied to you?! What are you talking about?" she asked as she furrowed her brows.

"He made fun of me because I like to play games!" exclaimed Luffy with a pout.

N gave a short quiet laugh. "He what?" she said more than asked as she gave a bit of a laugh again. "I guess neither of you was being honest with each other…" she said. Still smiling, she stood up and walked around the table to him. She reached down, grabbing his hand, pulling him away from the table. "Come on." she said.

"O-oi…" he said quietly as he was dragged out of the dining room.

As soon as they were outside, she stopped at the rail. Looking down, she smiled as she spotted L conversing with Robin. "L…can you come here for a second?" she called down to him.

Luffy quickly turned to her. "Oi!" he whispered loudly. She only turned and gave him a smile before looking back down at L. L looked up at them and blinked a few times before nodding and standing up.

As soon as he approached, N had a smile waiting for him. "What is it?" asked L.

"Come." she said as she also grabbed his hand and then pulled them back inside the dining room. Luffy glanced at L with a slight pout. After making her way in, she turned to them both. Both were staring at her, L with a blank yet curious expression, Luffy with a slight pout.

Smiling warmly at them both, she took a quick sigh. "It seems neither of you was honest with the other…I think we need to talk about this." she said.

Both frowned at her. "What do you mean, we weren't honest…?" asked L.

Luffy looked away from both with an annoyed expression. "You made fun of me for playing games when you play games…" he said in an irritated quiet voice.

L quickly turned to Luffy and then frowned at N. She had her arms crossed and a brow raised at him. "You told him I play games?!" he half yelled.

"I never knew it was to never be mentioned! When he told me you had made fun of him for it, I was surprised! How could you do that?!" yelled N in return.

"Because!" he replied.

N blinked at L's response in some surprise. Then she made an angry face. "Because is _not_ an answer!" she said.

"Well it's my answer!" he said.

She was becoming irritated with both of their lack of answers. "Oh so if that's the case…Are you embarrassed of the fact that we play games together and that you rather enjoyed playing games with me? Or do you completely hate playing games with me…I thought you enjoyed that time with me…" she said.

"No I do!" he said loudly.

"Then why did you make it seem you didn't play games?! I never realized it was such a secret! I thought secrets were more of the fact that my pet name for you is Kitten when no one is around!!" she said angrily.

L turned red with embarrassment. "_Oi, Nami_!!" he exclaimed having forgotten he was supposed to be referring to her as N.

Luffy blinked and turned to L with wide eyes. "Kitten?" he asked before bursting out laughing.

L scowled at Luffy before turning to N. "Okay…well how was _he _not honest?" asked L with his cheeks puffed out.

Luffy quickly turned to L. "Oi!" he exclaimed. He was ignored.

"He said he didn't care if Nami liked him or not…He does care." she said with pursed lips in a displeasing frown.

Luffy turned back to her. "_Oi_!!" he exclaimed.

"Eh?! Why did you say you didn't?! And the way you said it! It was really mean!" exclaimed L loudly as he turned to Luffy.

"Well she is mean!! She's always mad at me!! Why is your Nami so much nicer?!" yelled Luffy.

"Maybe because I'm not such an idiot all the time!!" yelled L in return.

"Enough!" said N in a loud voice as she came forward and popped each on the head. Both looked up at her with completely wide eyes. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath before looking at both of them. "I can't understand how you two can't get along…You're the _same_ person for crying out loud!" she exclaimed with a slight frown of concern.

Both L and Luffy could only blink up at her with the same wide eyed expression as they held onto their bruised heads. First of all, N had never struck L before. Second, Luffy was suddenly reminded of his Nami. She did exactly what Nami would have done.

N seemed to deflate as she sighed deeply. "I'm sorry…" she said.

"No…it's alright. You're right…I'm not sure what came over me…" said L as he looked down sheepishly.

Frowning slightly sad, N reached out, running her hand through L's neatly combed hair to where she had hit him. "I'm still sorry I hit you…" she said softly. Then she turned to Luffy who was no longer looking at either of them. He had his head turned away and his eyes shadowed under his hat. "Luffy?" questioned N in concern. He only stood, turned and walked out of the door. "Luffy!" she called, but the door closed behind him.

She made a quiet noise as her expression turned completely sad. L stood and faced the door as he also frowned. "I guess the talk didn't help at all…I tried…" she said as she looked down.

"No…I'm sure it helped…He just…won't feel any better until he knows she's safe…" he said as his eyes narrowed in concern. N walked up next to him and leaned against him. He turned his head to her, wrapped an arm around her, and then kissed the top of her head. "I would feel the same…" he said. She looked up at him and then wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his chest.

xxxx

After Nami had calmed down, she had gotten up off of the floor and had sat on the window seat with her knees drawn up. She couldn't stop thinking about D. She no longer had any doubts that he was insane. However, thinking about that made her feel sad. What could have possibly driven Luffy to insanity? Whatever it was, it must have been painful. She drew her knees closer to her, hugging them.

Had he injured himself? Is that why he had been bleeding? Why would he do that? She also wondered about his tattoo and his earring. When she acknowledged them, his demeanor seemed to change to coldness and she was sure she also saw hatred. If he hated them so much, why did he have them?

So many questions were going through her mind, none of which she had an answer for. Asking him about it she knew was an impossibility. He was terrifying and she was very much afraid of him. He was also extremely unstable. She would have to be careful from now on in what she said or did around him. Anything could trigger another of his psychotic break downs and she did not want to be on the other end of that ever again.

After D cleaned up each piece of glass and drop of blood from the bathroom and also washing his own vest and setting it to dry, he bandaged his wounds and had made his way back out on deck. The entire time he had thought about that orange haired woman. He knew from experience that no one could be trusted and she was no exception. He had been puzzled by her concern for him, but soon disregarded it. He figured it was _him_ she worried for. Perhaps she saw him as the other self she knew. Her concern couldn't have possibly been directed towards him.

It didn't matter anyway. He didn't need her concern and most definitely didn't care for it. Her fear had disgusted him. When she was to see him again, he was sure she would show that same fear again. It made him sick. They were all the same, the cowards. Fearful of those stronger than them as they should be, it was pathetic. She was no different. Sure she showed no fear mostly before, but it had been a façade. She was terrified of him, just like everyone else. She reeked of it.

That also didn't matter. Fear or no fear, it was all irrelevant. What was important was finding strong opponents to destroy. Grinning, he continued to stare out to the ocean contentedly. They should be reaching the next island soon enough. He will find someone strong to appease his growing appetite for his opponent's blood between his fingers.

**To Be Continued…**

**Author's Note: **So, what do you think of D now?! XD I think he is one psychotic hottie! But daz jus' me! What do you think of his other feature?! XD I will soon post a picture of what it looks like! Mihase/Rusky Boz, who is a sweetie, is going to draw D with his tattoo for me! XD So, as soon as it's done, I will show it to you guys! Thank you Mihase! XD You are sooo awesome! I also want to say how awesome Ryo is! She has helped me out A LOT with this story. I now will say D is a mixture of both or our OC. I will explain later! As for the 'Kitten' part, t'was also Ryo's idea. I will also explain this later. XP THANKS RYO AND MIHASE!! XD Anyway, please let me know what you thought of this chapter, by reviewing! XD


	5. Chapter 5: Trouble Appears, Loss of Cool

Crossed

**Author's Note: **Yay! Chapter 5 is finished! It didn't take me as long this time. I was able to find a little time here and there to finish it. Chapter 6 may take me longer though I'm afraid…but I have A LOT of goodies in store for that chapter for all you Luffy fan girls! XP Woot! I'm pretty excited about it. So look forward to chapter 6! 8D Well, here is chapter 5 for now! I have a yummy surprise in the beginning of this one too for you Luffy fan girls! I really hope you all enjoy it! Please review to let me know what you thought about it and enjoy! XD

**Crossed**

**Chapter 5: Trouble Appears and Loss of Cool**

Luffy panted as the water dripped off his nose and hair. His eyes were focused ahead. He was soaked and rather cold, but it was only a slight discomfort. He rubbed his bare chest, easing the slight pain there. All he managed to do was spread the mud across it, which caked his entire body. He reached up, running the back of his hand across his cheek. Again, he only spread the mud across it. The feeling of pain seemed to be a constant as was the exhaustion and aching of his muscles. His breathing was ragged, his heart pounding.

"Are you…done already?"

"Not even…close to it…"

Grinning into his reply, he leapt forward, tackling L to the ground. Both rolled around in the pool of fresh mud as the rain came down hard around them. Both could feel the rocks and other debris jabbing at their bare backs and scratching their skin, only a slight discomfort still. It was the price of strength. The pain would only help to increase that strength. L tossed Luffy off of him, rolling to a stand. Skidding across the slippery ground, Luffy attempted to leap towards him again, almost losing his footing in the slippery mud.

It had been a week already since Nami had been taken. The rest of the crew was back on the ship resting. Their captains' strength had increased a great deal and had far surpassed theirs. They could barely catch up with them now and because of this had suffered the consequence. Chopper had insisted they let their bodies rest and were to do no fighting for the next two days. He had also tried to convince L and Luffy to rest, but neither would allow themselves to rest. They had to become stronger and save Nami as soon as possible.

So now they trained alone, with just the two of them. While they had been training with the crew, they had managed to create moves with their abilities together, which was the main reason the crew was out of commission. Punches were thrown, legs kicked, bodies thrown and slammed into trees, blood spilled. Luffy grabbed a hold of L, slamming him across a tree. L cried out from the pain, coughed up blood, and then fell to the ground. Luffy waited for him to get back up.

Attempting to lean up on his elbows, L only fell back down with his face in the mud. Dropping to his knees, Luffy sagged with exhaustion. He dropped to his hands, crawling the distance to L. Sitting down, he attempted to catch his breath. L had pulled his arm over and rested his head on it, facing Luffy.

"Okay…now I'm done…" said Luffy as he panted tiredly.

"I thought…you said 'Not even…close to it…'" said L with a grin.

Swiping his arm tiredly, he splashed mud into L's face with narrowed eyes. "That was before…you fell down and couldn't get up…" he said in annoyance.

L only laughed softly as he attempted to wipe the mud from his face. He only managed to spread it more. Smiling, Luffy attempted to stand and then knelt down next to L. Grabbing his arm, he wrapped it around his neck and lifted him up. Both stumbled back to the ship.

Luffy had to help L up on deck. However, both only fell onto the deck as they climbed aboard. As soon as N saw them, she gasped. They were caked with mud and blood. "Ugh! Now what happened?!" she said as she approached them. Both grinned at her in the exact same manner.

"I had a run in with a very stubborn tree…" replied L.

N could only blink at him. "Run in…with a tree…?" she asked confused by his apparent humor.

Both laughed, highly amused for some reason. N frowned and turned her nose into the air. "Fine! Just…go clean up so Chopper can have at look at the both of you…" she said with her disapproving frown at how badly they were injured again. She knew she should be used to it. She just only wished they wouldn't go so far. Then she blinked. "And…where are your shirts?" she asked.

Both stared at her blankly for awhile before looking at each other. Luffy looked down at L's bare chest and L at Luffy's before looking to the jungle behind them and then back at N with grins and shrugs. Sighing, she sagged a bit in slight defeat. "Ugh…whatever…Just go get cleaned up." she said shaking her head at them. Both chuckled as Luffy helped L to the bathhouse.

It was nice seeing L like that. It was rather attractive for someone who was usually so neat, to be…well...dirty. It also helped that he had a nice build. Then there was Luffy who looked the exact same. Shaking her head, she had to clear that thought. It made her blush a little. It probably wasn't healthy to think like that. Even if they were the same person, they were a still two different people. 'Does that even make sense?' she thought to herself with a slight frown.

L turned and noticed her blush as she watched them walk away. Smiling, he winked at her. She blushed further before turning her nose in the air and walking back to her chair under the large umbrella. Robin smiled fondly at the two and watched N come back to her chair. Plopping down, she crossed her arms, puffed out her cheeks, but then smiled fondly.

"Luffy is rubbing off on him." stated Robin with a gentle laugh.

Nami chuckled softly. "Un…I think he is…I think it's adorable…" she said and then sighed. "But they really should go easy on the fighting…" she continued.

"Just like Luffy said…It's the only way." reminded Robin.

N sighed again. "I know…I just wish it didn't have to be that way…I get worried when they come back so hurt…" she said as she touched her temples and rubbed them. She watched as the rain continued to gradually stop pouring down.

"Ee…I know what you mean." replied Robin.

"You know…You are very pleasant to talk to…I wish I had someone like you on our ship. I'm the only female…" said N as she sagged forward.

Robin giggled pleasantly. "Nami once told me she was glad I was here. She said she might have gone insane eventually if I had not." she said as she laughed.

N smiled fondly. "Sometimes I think I might do just that…However, L has really helped out a lot with that. He is very pleasant to be with…That's why I love him so much. We enjoy our time together when we play chess. We talk about everything, anything and nothing." she said with a far away fond smile and then she frowned. "We haven't had any alone time since we got here though…" she said quietly.

Robin regarded her seriously before smiling. "Then perhaps you should tell him so." she said.

Shaking her head, she gave a sad smile. "Mmm…they need the time to get stronger and to rest. What's important is getting Nami back." she said.

Robin frowned at the girl, knowing she still would have liked some alone time with L.

xxxx

It had been a week since she had been taken. Learning to deal with him had been difficult, but she had managed to keep herself out of difficult situations. However, he still made her sleep with him at night. That night he had gone crazy, she had tried to sleep elsewhere. However, he had only lifted her up and carried her kicking and screaming back to the bed. She had learned to just deal with that too. As long as she didn't respond to his advances or ask him to stop, he would. She was still a little confused by that.

So far he hadn't flipped out like he had a few days before. At least, she didn't give him a reason to. She hardly talked to him or even acknowledged him much in the past few days. Odd enough, he didn't seem to bother her either. Most of her time was spent in the cabin. Most of his was spent outside. Even when it had rained a few days ago, he had stayed outside. Not only that, she hardly even saw Dabara either. He mostly stayed in the crow's nest, out of both of their way.

When she had gone out, reluctantly of course, to check on D, he had been soaking wet and sitting on the roof of the cabin. She had asked him if he had wanted to come inside. He had only stared down at her coldly before turning his back on her. She had been extremely confused by his expression and reaction, but hadn't persisted and had gone back inside the cabin. If he wanted to stay out in the rain, then that was fine with her.

Not feeling much like drawing maps, she was now sitting at the window seat just staring out to the vast sea. Just some distance away, she could see some sea kings jumping in and out of the water. They were still quite some distance, so she wasn't worried. Although, she wasn't really worried to begin with, she was sure D could handle it. D…The entire time she has been here, she still had yet to call him by any name. She highly doubted he would appreciate being called D. However, he just wasn't Luffy to her…

He was unlike anything she would have ever imagined Luffy to be. The longer hair, the earring, and most definitely the tattoo, but not only that, was also his attitude and demeanor. Also, he seemed to be very negative and pessimistic. He was not silly in anyway and never grinned like Luffy, but he did love to tease, mock and smirk in a horrible way. Then there was his lack of sanity. Regardless of all of that, she had to admit to herself that he was quite attractive in appearance. It was different and something she never thought she would see on Luffy.

Shaking her head, she brought up her arms, grabbing a hold of it. 'What am I thinking?!' she thought to herself. Putting the insanity aside and the fact that he was a horrible person, he was also Luffy. Considering the type of person Luffy was and how he constantly acted, she had never really _looked_ at him before. He was just Luffy. Although, that didn't mean that she didn't care about him, because she did. She didn't even want to imagine if anything ever happened to him.

She was also aware of just how much she cared about him, because those feelings came through with D as well. Even though he was bad and from another universe, he was still Luffy and she cared. It saddened her to think that something horrible happened to him to make him the way he was. It worried her when she had seen that he was hurt.

It hadn't just been fear that had made her cry that one night. It hurt…actually hurt her to think of him in that way. It saddened her to the point of tears. She really didn't want to imagine what could have possibly happened to him, but she did want to know and she also wanted to make it better. She didn't think it was possible, but it didn't change the fact that that's what she wanted to do. Perhaps…she could even say she loved Luffy. She loved all of her nakama. She would have wanted to make it better for any one of them.

However, knowing that Luffy was happy all the time and just full of joy, but then to see this Luffy…was far sadder than if it had been another of her nakama. She had been frightened and more startled of his reaction that day, but she realized, for some reason, she knew she didn't have to fear him. Or rather she refused to fear him. What was the point of being afraid all of the time? If he had wanted to hurt her, he would have done it by now. Another thing she had to remember was, he needed her. Sighing to herself, she put her head on her knees. Thinking about him only seemed to depress her more. 'I should think about other things.' she thought to herself as she stared out of the window.

Lying on the roof of the cabin, D stared up at the sky. That woman had actually surprised him. She had showed no fear that night when it had been time to sleep. He still found it humorous how she had tried to sleep elsewhere. She had been a spitfire to try and get back to the bed. Of course, he had managed. There was one thing that bothered him though, he could sense and see a change in her attitude towards him, and it wasn't caused by fear. Sitting up, he looked down.

That woman spent most of her time holed up in that cabin. There were only a few times she would come out and it was to check the course and weather patterns. He smirked to himself. He was beginning to think she didn't like him and didn't want to be near him. Sliding off of the roof, he landed with a thump in front of the door.

Turning towards the door, Nami furrowed her brows at the noise. She wondered why he was getting down. Just as she wondered that, the door opened. Narrowing her eyes, she turned back to the window and the sea kings in the distance. If she ignored him, maybe he would go away. Smirking, he slowly made his way to her. Hugging her knees tighter, she refused to turn to him, knowing he was approaching her. He stopped right next to her.

"You look bored." he said in a mocking tone.

"I'm not bored…I'm just fine…" she replied coldly.

Smirking wider, he leaned down cupping her chin with his hand and turning her to face him. She inhaled sharply, but quietly, her eyes widening as she looked up at him. He leaned further down, his lips only about an inch away from hers. Her eyes widened as she glanced down.

"Why don't we do something to pass the time." he said quietly.

Quickly looking up, she frowned at him and tried to pull away. His grip only tightened, but not too tight to where it hurt her. "I don't want to do anything with you…" she said.

"Are you sure…? It could be fun." he whispered as he leaned closer to her. He then used his other hand to tuck her hair behind her ear gently. Then he slid his hand back to her face, caressing her cheek softly.

His smirk had disappeared and was replaced with a soft expression. She was completely caught off guard by his soft expression, her eyes widening once again. "A-Anything that has to do with you…couldn't possibly be fun…" she said as her breath quickened. She was becoming nervous, but for what reason? She was also becoming alarmed.

"Oh, it's fun. Let's play a game…" he said still quietly.

"I don't want to play any of your games!" she said as she tried to pull away.

Her heart had begun pounding, and she didn't like the feeling he was giving her. However, his grip was firm yet gentle. He brought his hand up slowly, curling his fingers in a bit, and then softly ran the back of his fingers down her cheek. Then he ran his knuckle down her jaw line, while his other fingers ran feather light across her throat. An involuntary shiver ran down her body as his fingers caused a tingling sensation down her body as well. As he continued to caress her, he slowly leaned closer to her, and was only a hair's width away from her lips.

Her breathing quickened more as her eyes slightly hooded. His touch was making her feel good. He slid his hand softly to behind her neck and began to slowly and gently massage it. He looked so much like Luffy. His expression…looked so much like him. It was so soft. It was almost…mesmerizing. Her first impulse was to reach up and touch his face. However, her mind began to work again and made her remember, he was _not_ Luffy, at least, not her Luffy.

Gasping when she finally seemed to realize just how close he was, she quickly pulled back, slapping his hands away. His expression immediately changed into a scowl and then the unexpected happened. He back handed her across the face. Crying out in complete shock, she landed belly down on the window seat. She began breathing loudly, still in absolute shock with her eyes as wide as saucers. After she finally began to calm down, she slowly looked up at him with furrowed brows as she put a hand to her stinging cheek.

He continued to scowl at her for awhile, before he began to chuckle. Slowly, she began to sit up again. She didn't want to aggravate him more than he already might be. Removing her hand, she continued to stare up at him without fear.

"So…you're attracted to him." he stated matter of factly.

"What are you talking about?" she asked in as calm a voice she could muster under the circumstances.

"I'm no idiot…I know attraction when I see it. I also know repulsion and what I saw was _not _repulsion." he said with his smirk.

"What did you mean…? Why did you say…_him_?" she asked.

He chuckled again. "Like I said…I'm not an idiot." he said as he leaned forward again. "I know that wasn't for me…" he whispered as he came close to her lips once again with that same soft expression. "Otherwise…" he started before his face turned into that nasty scowl. "…you wouldn't have rejected me!!" he yelled. Nami gasped, closing her eyes and cried out in surprise as she turned away from him. She was expecting some kind of pain, but all she heard were his chuckles.

Opening her eyes slightly, she furrowed her brows in slight anger. "I don't know what you're talking about." she said in annoyance as she faced him again with her frown.

He made clicking noises with his tongue as he shook his head. "Pretty women should never lie. Denial is a lonely companion…" he said as he placed a hand gently on her cheek and leaned forward once again. "I should know…" he continued. Her eyes twitched a bit in confusion about what he just said. However, she slowly looked away from him again. He pulled back, dropping his hand as he did. "I will make you see past him…" he said quietly, but from what she could detect, slight anger. He was probably scowling at her again.

She refused to look at him again. After awhile, he removed himself from the room.

xxxx

"I'm telling you! There was something weird about them!"

The marine captain regarded the hysterical man with a bored expression. "Alright, look…how could you possibly know there was something weird about them, if you've never actually seen them before this?" he asked again.

"Gah! Why aren't you listening to me?! I know what I saw! It was definitely Monkey D. Luffy and Burglar Cat Nami! I've seen the posters! However, there was something not right about him! He seems really happy in the poster, but the one I saw was anything but happy! He was cruel and even threatened to kill me!" exclaimed the man.

"Kill you…?" asked the marine captain with a raised brow.

"That's right! But the woman, she made him stop. She said some weird things too…" he explained.

"What did she say?" asked the captain curiously.

"She said…"Don't do this to him." At first, I thought she was talking about me…but then I realized, they were talking about someone else. She also tried to convince me he wasn't Monkey D. Luffy….He looked angry about that. She said I had it wrong, as if it weren't…but it sure as hell looked like him. Like I said, there was something weird about them! Like as if…it weren't really him…or something. Also…he looked really different." said the man.

"People change over the course of time…" he said.

"Well, I heard rumors he showed up in Water 7…People said…he looked exactly like his posters…He looked nothing like his poster…He didn't even have the hat…" explained the man.

The marine captain furrowed his brows. 'That hat was trade mark…' he thought to himself.

"Captain!"

The marine captain turned to one of his subordinates. "What is it?" he asked.

"I've got a bartender who could have sworn he saw Monkey D. Luffy." said his lieutenant. However, he looked like he had more to say.

"Alright…so what's the problem…?" he asked.

The lieutenant sighed and looked slightly confused. "He said…he could have sworn he say him…three times..." he said.

The marine captain looked confused. "Three times? Why is that significant? What matters is he saw him…not how many _times_ he saw him." he said.

"No sir…I meant…three different ones…" said the lieutenant.

The captain blinked a few times. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

"That's…not all…He says…he saw two of the same woman…Burglar Cat Nami…" explained the lieutenant.

"Take me to this bartender…now!" demanded the captain.

"Yes sir!" exclaimed the lieutenant with a salute as he took off in the direction of the bar, the captain just behind him.

xxxx

"O-i! Luffy!!"

Both L and Luffy looked over the rail to Zoro and Usopp, who were coming back aboard Mini Merry from town. "Oi, Zoro!" said Luffy as he waved at them and grinned.

"We've got trouble! We need to go!" yelled Zoro back.

"Eh?" questioned Luffy with a blank expression.

"What do you mean?!" asked L.

"Got some marines in town lookin' for you!" yelled Zoro as they finally docked.

Everyone ran down to the docking port, wanting to hear more. "What are you talking about?" asked L as soon as everyone made it down.

"Apparently…Luffy caused some trouble with a bartender and a man with a set pose…" said Usopp with a deep frown.

Luffy and L's eyes widened. "What…?" asked N.

Then both of their expressions turned into a scowl. "It was him…" said Luffy in a very quiet but threatening voice.

"Aa…" agreed Zoro.

"How did you find out about this, Marimo?" asked Sanji.

"I heard some guys talking about. Apparently, some guys from the bar L went into made a big fuss about seeing Monkey D. Luffy too…Although, not like how they had expected him to be." said Zoro as he glanced to L.

L made a small noise as he frowned. "In any case, he's right. We need to get out of here before they come snooping." he said as he began to go back on deck, everyone following.

Just as they did, a marine ship was already headed in their direction. "Oh crap!!" exclaimed U as he began to panic along with Usopp.

"We have to get out of here!! Let's go guys!! Get to work! You know what to do!!" ordered N as she began barking orders to everyone.

The marine captain peered through his binoculars, but almost couldn't believe what he was seeing. The bartender had been right. He really did see…two separate Luffy's. However, he hadn't expected to see doubles of his other crew mates as well. "What the hell is going on?" he whispered out loud as he lowered the binoculars. "Let's go men!! We need to catch our prey!!" he said as he continued to stare at the Thousand Sunny with unbelieving eyes.

"You think they saw us?!" asked N.

"More than likely…" replied L as he stared at the marine ship.

"Ready Franky?!" yelled Sanji into the com from the wheel.

"Ready!" Franky yelled back. They were about to make their hasty retreat.

"Everyone grab a hold of something!!" yelled Sanji.

As soon as he did, the ship jerked forward, the speed extraordinary. N cried out in surprise as L grabbed a hold of her tightly. Everyone else grabbed a hold of something and each other to make sure no one flew off the ship. The ship sailed across the ocean at an incredible speed for a long awhile before finally winding down. Franky came back up on deck with a grin on his face.

"That was incredible!" exclaimed Coby excitedly.

"Indeed…" agreed L as he checked to make sure everyone was called for.

"Shishishi!! Franky did a great job on this ship!!" exclaimed Luffy with a proud and massive grin.

"Aa…he sure did…" agreed L with a smile.

"Ah, they got away!!" exclaimed a marine next to his captain. They had indeed gotten away. 'What an incredible ship…' thought the captain to himself.

"What do we do, Captain?"

'What were two of a kinds…doing on that ship…?' he thought to himself, not having heard his lieutenant.

"Captain?"

Something strange was going on…He had thought the bartender insane when he had said that he had seen _three_ of a kind…However, he had only seen two on that ship. The bartender had said the second one he had seen had given him a really bad vibe. Not to mention, he had longer hair then the first one he had seen. Also, the first one he had seen was an amiable, quite happy man who loved to eat. The second was….dark…dangerous and seemed to be unapproachable. Then there had been the third one. He had said…the third one had been wearing marine attire. Not only that, but he was neat…hair combed and…no scar under his left eye.

"Captain Jin!"

Jin slowly turned to his lieutenant. "Abel…" he said with a serious expression.

"Yes sir…" replied Abel.

"When a man is deep in thought…he usually likes to _stay_ that way…" he said.

Abel stared at him for awhile with a blank expression. "Alright…that's fine…but meanwhile…they are getting away…" he said.

"I see…so…if they are getting away…what should you have done if I were so deep in thought?" asked Jin.

"Aa…I know I've already taken that step…I just wanted to interrupt your deep thoughts." said Abel with a straight face.

"I see…" replied Jin with just as straight a face.

"Did it work?"

"Nope…"

"Damn…"

Grinning, Jin turned back to where the Straw-hats had sped off at. "Did you see what I saw?" he asked.

"Aa…Something weird is going on." he replied.

"We need to make sure we find out…" said Jin.

"Yes, sir!" replied Abel as he smiled.

"We're not quite in the clear yet…They are bound to follow us." said L as he looked behind them.

"It will take us less time to get to the next destination than any other average ship. It normally takes a week to get to the next island. It will only take _us_ four days." said Franky with a proud grin.

"That's incredible Franky-san!" exclaimed Coby with a bright smile.

"That's unbelievable!" exclaimed U.

"You are a very talented shipwright." said L with a smile as he looked around at the ship.

Franky bellowed out with laughter at the praise. "I'm glad we were able to stock up on supplies yesterday." said N with a slight frown.

"Aa, I'm glad you guys decided to do that." replied L.

"I'm also glad we were able to get new sets of clothes in time. You about wore out the ones we bought the first day with all the training you did…and lost your shirt…" she said with a disappointed frown.

Giving her in impish smile, he chuckled nervously as he touched the back of his head. "Aa…I guess so." he said.

Then she glanced towards Luffy. "_Both_ of you losing them…" she said.

"Shishishi! I have plenty of clothes though! Nami always makes sure we have what we all need!" he said with a grin.

N smiled at him. He no longer got depressed when her name was mentioned or when he himself said it. "I see…That's good." she said. Then she nodded. "I guess I will make sure I keep up with her standards." she said as her smile widened.

"Yosh! We're counting on you!" exclaimed Luffy with his grin and a thumbs up.

N laughed softly and nodded. "N-swan has done a marvelous job so far!" exclaimed Sanji.

"Aa, N-san always looks out for us. Don't know what we would do without her!" said S with a smile.

"We would probably all be dead…" said U.

"Haha! Or a complete utter mess!" laughed Coby.

L smiled fondly at his men. "Who says _I_ would let you be messy?" he said.

U and Coby laughed. Nami smiled fondly at all of them. Then she glanced over at Luffy he was laughing as well. She was glad that he no longer seemed depressed every time either Nami was mentioned, or they talked about her herself. He himself was also able to talk about Nami. She had a feeling he and L may have talked since that day she had forced them to be honest with one another. After that, they seemed more comfortable talking to one another. Not only that, but L had even attempted to teach Luffy how to play chess.

That didn't go over so well. One thing that L had that Luffy didn't was patience. He had found the game to be boring and unexciting. L had tried explaining that it took brain power and intelligence to play the game. It was a tactical game. However, Luffy only frowned and repeated it's lack of excitement. L had not gotten upset but rather smiled and agreed perhaps it wasn't for him, and then they all went fishing. Smiling a bit warmer, she was glad that he was feeling better. It had hurt her to see him so down.

xxxx

The orange haired cartographer stared out to the approaching island. They would be landing soon and she would be off this hell of a ship. She knew she would be getting a few looks, but she would just have to ignore them. His having struck her did not go without consequence. A rather large and nasty bruise was left on her cheek. She was pretty sure it would take days for it to disappear. When he had seen it, he had only looked at it a few seconds before turning away. She was sure he didn't care.

As soon as they docked, she stepped off of the ship. The first thing she needed to do was some how figure out how to get her hands on some money. She was in serious need of new clothes and a number of other important essentials. D stepped off just behind her. Turning to him with a less than happy expression, she wondered just how to convince him _not_ to just take things. He gave a small side ways smirk at her as she stared at him for awhile. Just then Dabara approached them.

"So what do we do now?" he asked.

Sighing, she figured now was a good a time as any. "We need to make some money…" she said.

This only caused D to scoff. "Money?" he asked.

"That's right, money!" she said with a stern frown. "I will not allow you to continue to take from people." she said with defiance.

He only smirked mockingly at her. "And how are we supposed to get our hands on this money?" he asked.

She gave an exasperated frown before looking around them. She smiled big when she saw just how. Running over to the nearest building, she ripped off the poster that was posted there. D and Dabara both slowly walked up to her to see what she had grabbed.

"This is how!" she said with a smile as she held up the wanted poster.

D glanced down at it with a serious, slight frown before glancing back up at her again. "What is this?" he asked.

Pulling it back, she looked at it with a confused frown. Then she looked at him again. "It's a bounty…Don't you know what a bounty is?" she asked.

His eyes slightly narrowed. "Aa…I know what a bounty is…" he said sarcastically. "What I want to know is…why the hell are we hunting a bounty?" he asked in some irritation.

Taking a deep breath, she tried her best to calm herself. "To make some money. I've never seen a poster with Dabara's picture on it. We can collect the bounty and he can turn it in and get the money for us." she explained. Dabara shrugged as if saying he really didn't care either way.

D however, did not look pleased. After awhile, he smirked and then scoffed. "I'm not hunting dogs…" he said as he started to turn away.

"If you do this…" she started quickly. He turned to see what she was going to say and then she quickly continued, "…I might like you better…" she said with an uncertain smile.

He stared at her awhile with disbelief on his face and then he slowly broke into a half smirk before scoffing again. "You really expect me to go for that, woman?" he asked with humor in his voice.

Frowning in disappointment, she crossed her arms and had to think of something quickly to convince him. Then she brightened. Looking back down at the bounty, she smiled. "It's a fairly high bounty." she said.

"So? What do I care about money…?" he said as he frowned again at her persistence.

"I wasn't referring to the money…I meant high as in, he must be fairly strong." she said as she looked towards him with a sly smile. He lost some of his frown and was now regarding her curiously. "You've been looking for strong people to fight, right? If we can find really high bounties, then the stronger they might be." she explained. He seemed to be thinking about what she was saying. "This way…we are both happy. We get money and stop stealing…and you get to fight strong opponents." she continued to explain.

Walking up, he snatched the bounty poster out of her hand and then smirked big. "Alright…we'll do this your way…" he said as he looked down at it.

"Alright…so how do we find these people?" asked Dabara.

"Well, some of the bounties may be here on this island. This one is out in the open, so the chances of him actually being here are high. We may have to ask around and see if anyone has any news on bounties on the island." explained Nami.

"I can sniff some out…" said D.

Blinking a few times, she stared at him for awhile. "Sniff?" she asked with a raised brow.

"Aa…I can tell a lot about a person by how they smell." he explained with a bit of a chuckle at her expression.

"Can you…really smell that well?" she asked in slight disbelief.

"Aa…I trained my nose to be able to find strong opponents. I can use it to try and find strong people here. How do we find more bounty posters…?" he asked.

"Well, first we need to ask around. We get some names and then find a place with posted bounties. Dabara can go in and get them for us." she explained.

"Well, then let's get started." said D as he motioned for her to lead on. Smiling in satisfaction, she did just that.

Soon, she would have a lot of money and he was going to help her get it. Her eyes turned to beli. 'Maybe there is a bright side to being kidnapped after all.' she thought as she grinned greedily. She would be able to buy a wardrobe and then some. Map papers, pens, inks, and all of her cartography tools. Four months was a long time. She might as well get all her things so she could draw maps to pass time and so her time wouldn't be wasted.

This was a really big city, unlike the last small town. They should be able to find a few bounties here. Her only hope was that one was strong enough to appease D. Some of her best bets to find any information at all were bars. So that's where she headed for. As soon as she came up to one and was about to open the door, D grabbed her arm. She quickly turned and looked at him in confusion. His face was in the air and he had a focused expression.

Looking back down at her, he shook his head. "Not here…" he said.

Blinking, still in confusion, she then furrowed her brows. "Not here?" she asked.

"Aa…no one has the right smell." he said as he continued on.

She watched him curiously as he would slightly lift his nose into the air and take deep breaths. 'Can he really sniff people out? That's kind of weird…Luffy can't even do that…' she thought to herself.

Stopping at one place, he stared at it for awhile before lifting his nose slightly and taking one more deep breath. "Here…" he said as he smirked. "Someone here has the right smell. Someone here will know something." he continued.

Blinking in disbelief, she looked away from him and ahead at a shady bar. 'No way…' she thought as she walked passed him to go inside. As soon as she walked in, heads turned in her direction and the men inside began to leer at her. She felt herself shudder. Then D and Dabara followed her in. The heads immediately turned away. Nami smirked. 'Yeah you better think twice…' she thought as she turned to D. "Which one is he?" she asked.

Looking around the room, his eyes finally stopped on a particular man. Lifting his finger, he pointed right at him and smirked. "Him right there." he said.

Nodding with a smile, she made her way to the man. "Excuse me sir…" she said politely.

The man turned to look at her. "Aah?" he mumbled incoherently.

Covering her noise from the stench of his breath, she smiled. "Might we have a word with you…?" she asked.

The man only blinked at her confusedly. D pushed passed her, lifting the man off of his char. Then he turned to her after she gasped in surprised. "What are you…?" she started to ask.

"Why bother asking…?" he said more than asked as he dragged the man out of the bar. Frowning, she ran after him, Dabara behind her.

Running out, she turned the corner she saw him take. He walked into an alleyway with the sputtering and confused man at arms length. Turning, he slammed the man against the wall. "Stop that! Is this really necessary?!" she half yelled as she approached both.

Turning to her, he only wore a smirk. "Yes, yes it is…" he replied.

"Ugh…forget I asked…" she said as she turned to the frightened man. "We want to ask you a few questions, and my friend here believes you might know something…" she said.

"I don't know anything! I promise!!" he yelled looking at all of them with fear.

D's expression turned into a scowl as he punched the man in the gut. "I said stop that!! Let me do the asking…okay…? Hitting him may not even be necessary…" she said.

"I hit him because he's a coward…" said D with narrowed eyes in irritation.

"Because…he's a coward?!" she asked in disbelief.

"That's right…if it's one thing I can't stand…it's a coward…" he said with a scowl on his face.

Sighing, Nami gently grabbed his arm. "Let me do the asking, okay?" she asked in a calm and soothing voice. Narrowing his eyes a bit more, he roughly pushed the man into the wall before releasing his hold and moving away. "Thank you…" she said which caused him to quickly turn his head to her with a deep frown.

Ignoring his look, she turned to the man. "Now…my first question is…do you know any bounties that are here on the island?" she asked.

"Bounties?! Sure…I'll tell you anything you need to know! I know of a few bounties here! I'll tell you everything! Just…don't let him kill me!!" exclaimed the man, almost hysterically as he glanced pointedly to D, who only glared at the man with hatred.

"Alright…tell me what I want to know…and I promise he won't hurt you." she said with a smile.

The man nodded and began to tell them everything he knew about the bounties on the island.

**To Be Continued…**

**Author's Note: **There ya go folks! XD I really hope you enjoyed this chapter! D lost his cool…DX Let's just hope it doesn't happen again, eh…XP Let me know what you guys thought of this chapter! Please tell me so in a review! I really like those…


	6. Chapter 6: Seduction and Cruelty

**Author's Note: **Omg! I totally spazzed! I was supposed to put the link for the picture of D that Mihase/Rusky-Boz drew and I totally forgot on the last chapter!! XO Well, here it is folks! And please, leave a comment! I'm really sure she would love to hear (see) your praise! XD http (:) (/) / rusky-boz. deviantart. com /art / D – for – DARK - 78869138 Just remove all the spaces and the (). I really hope you guys like him! 8D Anyways, please review when you are done reading and enjoy! XD

**Crossed**

**Chapter 6: Seduction And Cruelty**

Making her way back on deck after a bath, N was immediately grabbed from behind and pulled back into the observation room. She cried out in some alarm, but stayed calm when a hand gently clamped over her mouth. As soon as she was pulled into the observation room, she was pushed against the bookcase and lips immediately claimed hers. She made a noise in protest before melting. Relaxing, she wrapped her arms around her fiancé, kissing him back.

After awhile, he pulled away and smiled at her lovingly before frowning. "I'm sorry that I've been neglecting you lately…" he said softly as he caressed her face gently.

"It's alright. I understand completely and am not holding it against you." she said with a bit of a giggle. "I'm being patient." she said with a more serious expression. "I understand how much time it takes to train, and how important it is for the two of you to become strong enough to save his Nami." she continued as she also caressed his face longingly.

Closing his eyes, he reached for her hand, clutching at it tightly. "I have missed our time together." he said quietly as he kissed her palm.

"I've missed our time together too, Luffy…I've missed _you_…" she said quietly.

"I've missed you too, Nami…" he said as he pulled her to him, taking her lips with his once again. Moaning softly, she wrapped her arms around his neck.

After awhile, she leaned back and smiled into his face. "How about we play a game of chess in here tonight after dinner?" she asked.

Smiling in return, he nodded. "Sounds like a date." he said with a chuckle.

Giggling, she leaned back over, kissing him again. She was glad she was patient. It had paid off. His surprising her like this was sweet. It made her extremely happy to know he had missed her just as much as she had missed him.

Thinking of this made the two of them come to mind. "I'm really glad that the two of you are getting along better." she said as he touched his nose to hers.

"I am too…You know…I actually thought he was an idiot and was really disappointed in myself…well, in him. However, I've learned that he is anything but…" explained L.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Well, I was talking to Robin, and she told me incredible things about him…He just…goes about things…differently and views things differently than the way I do. I've seen it as well…I was wrong about him. He's…just different from me." he explained in some confusion. "I just find it strange how different two of the same people can be." he continued.

With her arms still around his neck and nose still touching his, she smiled at him with a thoughtful smile. "Perhaps you're right…I couldn't help but to think about the things he told me the day I forced the two of you to be honest with each other…" she said.

"You're never going to let us live that down…are you?" he said with narrowed eyes.

"I can't help it…It was funny and cute, yet incredibly annoying all at the same time…" she said with a catty grin.

"I see…Okay…go on…" he said.

Giggling, she then lost a bit of her smile. "He told me that she always gets angry with him, hitting him, yelling at him…She has absolutely no patience for him. I really don't understand that." she said.

"Well…perhaps…they haven't developed any love…It's hard to have patience with someone you don't necessarily love." replied L.

"I don't…understand that either…" she said with a sad frown as she looked down. Then she looked back up at him. "I love you so much…It kind of hurts me to think that she doesn't love him…He had told me that he cares about her…Maybe not necessarily love her…but…how can she not…love him…?" she asked, but knew he didn't have the answer.

"We are all just different…Maybe it will just take some time…or…maybe something needs to happen between them to realize…just how important they are to one another." he suggested. He couldn't help but to think of their current situation.

Leaning her forehead on his chin, she closed her eyes and sighed. "Maybe…" she replied. Then she opened them and blinked a few times as she furrowed her brows. "Maybe…when we get her back…" she started as she looked up at him.

"You're not thinking, what I think you're thinking, are you?" he asked with an exasperated face.

"But it would be a good thing if we…"

"If we do this we could completely mess up anything they may have had together…"

Making a small noise with parted lips at his having interrupted her, she then frowned at him. "Nami…if it's meant to be for them…they will find their way on their own…They don't need us. As it is, us coming here might have messed things up for them…Our having chased Dabara and coming here got his Nami taken…Them having seen what we have together…might scare them away further…" he said.

"Then we should fix it!" she exclaimed.

"Nami…they don't need us…I'm only saying those are possibilities. Seeing as he does have feelings for her, maybe we were always destined to be together no matter what universe or dimension we are from." he exclaimed. Then he sighed at her sad frown. "What I'm saying is…if love were meant to be for them, like it was for us…they will find it on their own. They _don't_ need us to help them." he said as he gave her a loving smile, gently cupping her cheek and leaned his forehead against hers.

Sighing, she seemed to deflate in front of him. "I know you're right…I just can't help but to feel for him…He is still you after all…" she said quietly.

He tilted his chin up and kissed her forehead. "I know you do…" he said softly. "However…have some faith in him…He is me after all." he said with a gentle smile.

Giggling again, she smiled up at him affectionately. "Alright…I know you're right…" she said.

"Besides…he would hate it if we so much as tried to interfere." he said.

She couldn't help but to laugh. "You are probably right…" she said.

"No, I am right. Because I know that I would definitely hate it. It would be like saying I wasn't capable enough to get what I wanted. He is more than capable." he explained.

"Alright, alright, I get it!" she said with a smile. "I will have faith." she said.

"Good…now give me another kiss, woman." he said. She grinned before leaning forward, kissing him lovingly.

xxxx

"I can't wait to get to the next island!" exclaimed Luffy as he stared out ahead of him with a slight pout. Then his expression turned into a serious frown. "I wonder if we will see Nami there…" he said quietly.

"I kind of doubt it Luffy…I think we were told it was a really large city. The chances of us seeing her are pretty slim. Not to mention, they might be gone or leaving by the time we get there…It was awhile while we were on the island…" said Sanji. Then suddenly his eyes turned to hearts. "But it would be great to see Nami-swan again and make sure she is okay!" he exclaimed before tears waterfalled down his face in depression.

Luffy's expression remained serious and also concerned. "Aa…I hope she is okay too…" he said quietly as he continued to stare off to sea.

"Nami is strong…She will make it through no matter what." said Robin with a kind, reassuring smile.

Luffy turned to her and grinned. "Aa, she is strong!" he agreed with a strong nod.

"Aa!" agreed the guys enthusiastically.

They all had to continue thinking as positively as they possible could. Every one of them was extremely worried about Nami and it didn't take much to make them depressed. Thinking that Nami could be suffering and being hurt by someone who was Luffy was not a very pleasant thought. Robin seemed the only one capable of making sure everyone _stayed_ positive. At this period, she was their back bone.

L and N came down the stairs, holding hands and looking content.

"Oh, L, there you are!" said Luffy with a grin.

"Here I am." he replied with a smile.

"Usopp, U, Coby, and Chopper are down below swimming. Well, Chopper is just down below. They wanted to know if you wanted to hang out with us. I came up to find you, but you weren't here." he said with a lop-sided frown.

Chuckling, he tilted his head at Luffy. "Well, I'm here now. Let's go swim!" he said.

Everyone blinked at him for a second. L looked at everyone in confusion. "Did I say something wrong?" he asked.

"You…you can swim?" asked Luffy with slightly wide eyes and slightly parted lips in disbelief.

"Of course I can…Can't you…?" asked L with a confused frown.

Luffy's jaw hit the floor. "Of course not! That's not fair! How come you can swim?!" he exclaimed loudly.

Both L and N blinked at him wide eyed at his outburst. "Because I learned…Want me to teach you?" he asked with a raised brow.

Robin began to laugh softly. Turning to her, L and N frowned in confusion. "Luffy cannot enter water without sinking. I also have this same problem." she said.

"Eh? Why?" asked N.

"Because, we are Akuma no Mi users…You see, after eating the fruit, we have become hammers in the water. We cannot move once we have been submerged in water. We just…sink." she explained.

"Oh…I see…" said L as he turned to Luffy. "I'm sorry…" he said with an apologetic frown.

Drooping in depression, Luffy only held up a hand. "It's okay…It's not your fault…" he said in a whiny voice.

Chuckling, he approached Luffy. "If you want, I just won't swim either and sit up with you." he said with a gentle smile.

Looking up at him quickly in slight surprise, Luffy frowned a bit. "You'd do that for me…?" he asked.

L chuckled again. "Of course I would. We're friends, right?" he replied with a grin.

Luffy gave him a gentle, thankful smile. "Aa, we're friends!" he said as his smile turned into a grin.

Smiling bigger, L nodded at Luffy. "Then that's what friends do!" he said as he pat Luffy's shoulder once, gripping it tightly.

Luffy's grin widened. "Shishishi! It's okay though! You don't have to do that!" said Luffy as he laughed.

"I wouldn't mind going for a swim as well. Is it alright if I go with you guys?" asked N with her own fond smile at the two.

"Shishi, of course it's alright!" exclaimed Luffy.

Nodding she made her way to the women's quarters to change. L watched her and then turned to Luffy. "I'll go change myself. I will do both, how about that?" he asked.

"Aa, sounds fun! Thanks! I will go tell the guys!" said Luffy with a grin as he made his way down below.

xxxx

After having collected the information needed, they were now headed for a place the man had suggested they search first. Quite angry and irritated, the mikan loving cartographer stomped down the street in the direction they had been told to travel in. Quite _pleased_ with _himself_, D followed along behind her with a satisfied smirk on his face.

"Was that really necessary?!" she half yelled without turning.

"Quite…" he replied as he chuckled nastily.

Growling and grabbing her head in irritation, she closed her eyes and tried to calm herself as she continued to walk. After they had obtained the information they had wanted, D had punch and then kicked the man as his reward. Then he had told the man to be grateful he didn't kill him for his cowardice. The man had screamed and run out of the alley. She just hoped he didn't tell anyone of authority.

She was really beginning to wish D had a little more self control. But when had Luffy ever had any self control. Now she also just wished for the happy-go-lucky rubber man laughing and running ahead cheerfully, turning to her with his grin that always seemed to brighten her mood despite her annoyance. Frowning sadly, she lifted her gaze and lowered her arms. She would never take his personality for granted ever again. She would try and be more patient, far preferring that than this man behind her.

Continuing on, she looked from building to building, looking for the specific name given to her. "Hmm…I see something of interest…I'll catch up later." said Dabara as he turned directions.

Nami turned and frowned. "You know where to meet us, right?" she asked. They would need him to turn in the bounty.

"Aa…I know where." he said as he waved and continued on.

Still frowning, she continued on, searching for the building. As they continued, she began to hear the loud sound and vibrations of music. Tilting her head, she made a curious face. It was a different type of music she had never heard before. Stopping in front of the noisy building, she squinted, having trouble reading the name of the building. It had gotten dark, and the name was slightly obscured.

Stepping forward, she squinted further and then smiled. "This is the place…" she said.

"Good to know…" he said before stepping forward and inside. She furrowed her brows a bit in curiosity in the way he had said that before finally following him inside.

As soon as she stepped inside, her eyes widened in slight awe, there were neon lights every where. There was also blinking lights moving around and the music was extremely loud. It was a bit dark inside as well. Blinking her eyes, she began to look through all of the moving people to find D. Even though he was who he was, she felt a little insecure without him. She knew he would most likely protect her if she ran into any trouble. He needed her after all.

She finally spotted him, watching the people on the dance floor. He had his arms crossed and a smirk on his face. As soon as she walked up to him, he turned his smirk on her. Then to her surprise, he held his hand out to her.

Blinking down at it in wide eyed confusion, she finally looked up at him. "Care to dance?" he asked loudly over the music and noise.

She looked at him in complete surprise. He still wore the smirk and his hand still extended. 'Is he serious?!' she thought to herself. When he didn't move, she frowned and stuck her nose in the air. "I refuse to dance with someone like you…" she said.

"Don't know how?" he asked in an amused voice.

Turning back to him she scowled. "Either way…I would never dance with someone like you!!" she yelled. He only shrugged with his smirk, turning, he walked away. Blinking in confusion, she watched him approach two girls without any hesitation or reservation. Both turned to him curiously and with obvious interest. He leaned closer towards them and began to say something to them with a smile on his face. It was an unfamiliar smile.

Both girls leaned towards him to hear what he had to say, and then their expressions brightened. Both nodded as they set their drinks down, and then each taking his hands. She watched in complete surprise as he guided both to the dance floor. 'Is he really going to dance with both?!' she asked herself in complete amazement. 'And they actually accepted?!' she continued to think in disbelief.

As soon as they made it to the floor, he turned, still holding both of their hands. One of the girls walked around behind him, and glued her body to his back. The other girl turned her back to him, he pulled her to his front and then they slowly began to move together. Sweat beading down her face, Nami's eyes widened as her lips parted. 'What the…?' she thought in complete disbelief. 'He…he…he really knows how to dance?!' she continued to think.

Then she inhaled sharply as she furrowed her brows. She was watching at exactly how they moved together. They swayed their hips in the exact same rhythm. He was completely sandwiched between them, their bodies touching completely. He had his hands on the girl's hips in the front, moving her hips with his. The girl in front had her hands reaching back and on his. The girl behind him had hers on his sides, and she was slowly moving them up and down his body.

As she continued to watch, her breathing quickened and her palms became sweaty. She could feel her body growing hot the more and more she watched him. She never would have _ever_ thought that Luffy could move his body the way he was doing it now. She couldn't remove her eyes from him. She watched as he slowly caressed the girl's hips in front of him. Glancing up, she noticed they were talking to each other.

Both girls looked completely satisfied with their single partner. Both had seductive smiles on their faces and hooded eyes. The girl in front had her head tilted back and up to be able to talk to him as they moved. The girl in back had her chin on his shoulder. Frowning, she felt another kind of heat warm her body. She furrowed her brows deep as she crossed her arms, her breathing becoming shallower. She was feeling angry. Why she was feeling this way? She had no idea.

Glancing over, he noticed her expression. Slowly smirking, he leaned down next to the girl in front's ear and said something in her ear without removing his eyes from Nami. The girl pouted and quickly turned up to him, saying something. The girl behind him also pouted and said something. They stopped dancing and turned to him. He said one last thing before making his way to Nami. Lifting her nose in the air, her first impulse was to turn and walk away.

However, that's not what she did. She watched him approached, glued in place. Why she didn't just walk away, puzzled her greatly after the point. He finally made it to her with that smirk on his face. She furrowed her brows deeper, as her crossed arms tightened.

"Want to dance now?" he asked as he held his hand out to her.

Without answering, she turned away from him. He chuckled. Turning back to him, he only shrugged and then turned to look over his shoulder to the two girls still dancing behind him. Both were dancing in the same manner he had been dancing with them just before. Both were smiling at him invitingly and then both crooked their fingers at him. His smirk widened as he turned back to Nami.

She felt that unfamiliar heat envelop her body. Puffing out her cheeks a bit, she some how found herself taking his hand. He chuckled as his smirk widened and his hand closed around hers tightly. Turning to the girls, Nami saw that both were frowning at her. She 'humphed' and looked away from both. As soon as they were on the floor, he stopped and turned to her. She felt her breath quicken again and felt herself become very nervous.

With his sly smirk, he slowly walked around behind her. Watching him as sweat beaded down her face, she swallowed hard. As soon as he was at her back, she felt him slowly slip an arm around her waist. When he pulled her back to his front, she inhaled sharply. 'What am I doing?! This is a bad idea!!' she yelled in her mind, but still didn't move away from him. Her palms were extremely sweaty and her heart beating as fast as it could go.

The heated navigator could feel his hands slide to her hips, softly and slowly. Then he began to move her hips right along with his slowly. She could feel him gently place his chin on her shoulder as he pressed his body more into hers. They continued to slowly move together in rhythm with the music. Closing her eyes slowly, she allowed the feeling to surround and intoxicate her. His body felt good against hers.

Her head began to lean back against his other shoulder on it's own. Then he slowly slid is hands down her hips to her thighs. Continuing to slide his hands down her thighs, he slid them to the front of them slowly still, and then slid them back up skillfully. She could feel his even breath on her ear and neck. His breath was hot against her skin. She felt her arms lift up, placing her hands over his arms.

When he would move his arms further down her legs, her hands would slowly slide up his arms as she kept them in place. Her breathing became quicker and ragged, her chest rising and falling in it's unevenness. She was almost certain she heard him moan in her ear. This only seemed to add to her intoxication. Her lips parted as it became harder and harder to breathe, her cheeks becoming warmer and warmer.

Then she felt his hands slid up her thighs and hips before gliding up and across her stomach softly. Through the loud noise and music, she was pretty sure sound escaped her lips. She was also pretty sure he heard her because the breath on her neck was coming more constant now. When he began to place soft kisses on her neck, her head tilted to the side instinctively. He continued to caress her stomach and hips gently as they continued to sway to the music seductively.

Another soft moan escaped her lips as he ran his tongue up the side of her neck. His hands glided further up still to just under her breasts. He stopped and spread his fingers over her rib caged just under her breasts.

Closing his eyes, he immensely enjoyed the feeling of her under his touch. This woman greatly interested him. He was well aware of the fact that he was highly attracted to her. He almost wanted her more than anything. He continued to kiss and suck her neck slowly. After awhile, the music finally ended and a new song began. Nami's eyes fluttered open. As she looked around, she realized many eyes were on them.

Gasping, she straightened up as her face heated with embarrassment. Then she heard his chuckles. The anger started from the pit of her stomach until she felt it in her ears. Turning on him, she gave him her worst scowl. Clenching her teeth, she couldn't believe she had actually allowed this to happen.

"You bastard…" she said through clenched teeth.

He only chuckled again with a wide smirk. "Bastard…? I didn't do anything you didn't want me to do…" he said.

Feeling quite flustered, her cheeks grew hotter. "I didn't want any of what you just did!!" she yelled.

"Oh? I beg to differ…" he said as he laughed lightly, but unpleasantly.

Pushing past him, she began to stomp out of the club. However, a hand gripped her shoulder firmly. Whirling around angrily, she slapped his hand off of her. He only shrugged and gave her an uncaring expression.

"Fine…I guess you don't want to find your bounty…And here those girls had told me where he was." he said as he began to walk past her.

Gasping, she quickly grabbed his arm. "Wait! You know where he is?!" she said as she looked at him in disbelief.

"That's right…They answered all of my questioned quite easily." he said with a smug smirk.

'He had actually been trying to get information out of those girls while he danced with them?!' she thought to herself in complete disbelief. Luffy…would have never thought to do that…or danced for that matter…This Luffy…was actually smart…Blinking, she finally recovered from her shocked stupor.

"Wha-What did they say?" she asked.

Making a slight scoffing sound, he turned, looked up and pointed up above them. There was a windowed room up above them on the second level of the club. The windows were too dark to see inside of them.

"That…was easy…" she said as she frowned slightly.

"No…Not really. It's a trap." he said as he turned back to her.

"A what?!" she asked as she looked back down at him with wide eyes. "How…how do you know?!" she asked in disbelief.

"Because it was too easy. I just need to get near that room. I should be able to pick up the scent we need to find him." he explained as he started for some stairs.

Following him, she wondered if it really were a trap. 'Did those girls maybe work for the bounty? Or did they just think he was in there…' she thought to herself.

They walked down the long empty hall, the music not getting any quieter. Suddenly, he stopped. "This is close enough…" he said. He lifted his face into the air and closed his eyes.

Bringing up her arms, she began to rub them against the imaginary cold as she watched him. His face was so relaxed and looked so peaceful. His lips were slightly parted as he concentrated on the smells in the air. He was so…attractive…Was Luffy this attractive? Maybe his constantly being happy, cheerful and acting silly made it to where she couldn't see him the way she…saw D.

D was much more mature even if he was semi-insane. He was also intelligent and had incredible abilities. Not to mention…he really knew how to dance. Shivering just from the memory, she was jolted out of her own horrible thoughts. 'What am I thinking about?!' she yelled in her mind as she gasped loudly. Was she really thinking those thoughts? Taking deep breaths to calm herself down, she closed her eyes tightly and lowered her arms.

After awhile, he stepped forward a bit, and then lowered his head as he opened his eyes slowly. Turning to her, he smiled. "I think I have his scent." he said as he walked past her.

Smiling in anticipation of the money she would soon have and trying to push her previous thoughts away, she ran after him in excitement.

xxxx

As soon as they docked, Luffy jumped off the ship and looked around excitedly and purposefully, hopeful to maybe catch a glimpse of his orange haired navigator. The rest of the crew also came down from the ship behind him.

"You know the chances are slim Luffy…" said Usopp with a frown.

"But there's still a chance! Even if it's a small one…I will look for her…" he said as he looked under and over the crowd in hopes of seeing anything of her.

Smiling, L also began to look around along with N to see if maybe they could spot her too. "Perhaps we should see how long it takes for the pose to set. They may be gone from this island already." suggested Robin.

"That's a good idea…" said N with a small frown. Then she smiled. "Besides, we can search in town as well. Maybe we could even spread out into a group." she continued.

"Sounds like a plan…" said Coby as he smiled.

"We also have to make sure no one sees us…It will be difficult with Nami and the other Luffy here, but we have to try." she said as she reached in her bag and she removed a wig. "I will wear a different hair colored wig to try and hide my likeness to Nami." she said. Then she turned to L.

L placed a cap over his head which covered a lot of his eyes. Without the scar, he looked fairly different from Luffy. S placed an eye patch over one of his eyes, put on a strange, but nice, hat that completely covered his hair color and a bandage over his eye brow.

"I'll stay on the ship." said Zoro as he turned and made his way back aboard the ship.

"Alright…now for who is paired with who…" started Nami.

"I will be with N-swa-…" started Sanji.

"I will go with Luffy and L." she said, ignoring Sanji who seemed to deflate.

Then hearts formed in his eyes as he danced his way to Robin. "Then I will go with Robin-chwa-…" he started again.

"S, U and Robin can be in another group." said Nami interrupting Sanji again who deflated and waterfalled tears. "Franky, Sanji, and Coby can be the third group." she continued.

"Oi, why do I have to be with two guys…and why does S get to go with Robin-chwan…?" he said as he continued to cry.

Continuing to ignore him while S tried to comfort Sanji, N continued with the pairings. "Last but not least Z, Usopp and Chopper can go in the last group." she said before turning to where Usopp was. "Usopp, what disguise are you…gonna…use?" she said as she blinked. "Oh…I guess that mask…works…" she said as she gave him a weird frown.

"Oi, I am not Usopp-kun! I am the great Sogeking!" exclaimed Sogeking with his hands on his hips.

"Sogeking!!" exclaimed Luffy and Chopper as they ran up to him with starry eyes and grins.

Then Luffy lost his grin and looked confused. "Eh? Where did Usopp go?" he asked.

Sogeking began to sweat profusely. "Uh…he had something he needed to do…He…uh…couldn't wait and wanted to find Nami! He asked me to help you guys!" he said.

L and his crew blinked at him with disbelief. "R-ight…okay…_Sogeking…_" said N as she frowned at him. "You can go with Z and Chopper…" she continued.

Looking from Luffy to Chopper, L wondered how they couldn't tell he was the same man. At least he had a disguise and didn't look like U. "Alright, now that we have our pairs, let's get going. Just be careful men." he said as he nodded to everyone.

"Yes sir!" said his men as everyone went off with their group in search of Nami.

Turning to Luffy and L, N smiled. "Shall we?" she asked. Both nodded and Luffy grinned.

They turned and began to head into town. Luffy looked around excitedly and anxiously. "I'm going to look into shops. You guys see if you can see them through the crowds." said N as she entered a shop she thought Nami would go into. Luffy walked a ways away from L and looked around through the crowd. L looked in the opposite direction.

Walking out, N entered the next shop. As he continued to look, Luffy felt himself become more and more anxious and impatient. He continued walking, no longer caring if he got to far away from L and N. He had to find her, no matter what. Checking down alley ways and windows of shops, he continued down the street quickly.

Turning to where Luffy was, L's eyes widened. Luffy was gone. "Ah! Luffy!" he called as he looked around for him. Then he frowned, realizing what Luffy must be feeling.

Luffy jumped up to look above the many heads in the crowd to see if he could spot his orange haired navigator. However, there was no orange in sight. Drooping, he gave up. Maybe if they were lucky, they would run into her during the days before her pose set. Turning with his face towards the ground, he began heading back to L and N. Glancing up, he stopped and his eyes widened. Just down one of the alleys, he could see her. She was on another street, leaning against a wall.

His heart skipped a beat, and he felt excitement build. "Nami…" he whispered.

Then she looked to the side and then she turned towards him. As soon as she laid her eyes on him, her eyes widened and her lips parted in surprise as she stood up straighter. Stepping forward once, his expression turned slightly sad. Her expression also turned sad.

"Luffy…" she whispered as she stared at him.

It was so good to see him. Feeling a jump of her heart, she gently laid a hand over it. Then she noticed his eyes shift to the side. Her brows furrowed a bit in confusion. Then her eyes widened when she noticed his expression turn dark.

'Oh no!' she thought as her hand flew to her cheek. It had been four days since he had struck her, but the bruise had still yet to go away. When he began to step forward with his extremely angry expression, she held up her hand and shook her head in slight panic. She did _not_ want him to fight now if he weren't ready. From what she had seen D do, she knew she wouldn't be able to stop him from killing her nakama.

Surprisingly, he had stopped, but had a confused and concerned expression on his face. She lowered her arm slowly as her expression turned sad once again as she shook her head more gently and then she smiled to let him know she was okay. However, his expression only turned sad and worried again.

More than anything, he wanted to go to her. The bruise on her cheek angered him a great deal. He had to talk to her and make sure she was okay. Suddenly, she quickly looked to the side with slightly wide eyes. Turning back to him, she gave him one last forlorn gaze before turning and walking out of his sight.

"It's him…" he whispered to himself in a deathly quiet voice. "He's going to pay for hurting her…" he continued as he tried to calm his anger.

Then he immediately stepped forward into the alleyway. He stopped at the end and peered around the corner carefully. He could see them both walking away some distance. Stepping out, he quickly made his way behind them carefully. Using the crowd to hide in and going from alleyways to stands to anywhere he could hide himself, he waited until there was any opportune time to grab her. He wasn't a patient person by any means, but he knew it was very important that he be this time.

As soon as D entered a shop, he quickly stepped forward, stretching his arms and pulled her to him. Many people turned towards him suspiciously, but he only pulled her to an alley and let her go.

"Luffy! What are you doing?!" she whispered loudly.

"I had to make sure you were okay!" he said as he looked her over. His eyes stopped at her bruise. "What happened? Did he hurt you badly? Did he try anything? Are you alright?" he asked in a barrage of questions.

"Luffy, I'm fine. It was nothing…I just did something he didn't like. He hasn't hurt me since." she said as she offered a reassuring smile.

"Then…he hasn't…touched you?" he asked with a worried frown.

"No…Surprisingly, he hasn't touched me. He actually doesn't like forcing…himself on women." she said uncomfortably.

Luffy seemed to droop with relief as he let out a sigh. "I'm so glad…" he whispered before perking up a bit more. "So then…you really are okay?" he asked.

Tilting her head, she smiled warmly at him. "Un, I'm just fine Luffy, I promise." she said

However, he still frowned deeper. Reaching up, he placed a hand on her bruised cheek softly. Gasping in surprise, her eyes widened as she looked at him. "He's going to pay for this…" he said in a low angry voice.

She was still surprised by his touching her face, but then she frowned a bit. "Luffy…there's something wrong with him…He's insane." she said with her sad frown.

"Of course he is insane!!" exclaimed Luffy.

"No, Luffy…you don't understand…He really is…insane…" she said quietly. Luffy furrowed his brows in slight confusion before he realized she really meant it. "I don't know what could have possibly pushed him over the edge…but it must have been painful." she said as she looked down sadly.

"Painful…?" asked Luffy.

"Un…when he…loses himself…he looks like he is in so much pain...His eyes are so pained and angry…I…I have been wanting to ask…but I'm afraid. He's also so cold and…" She stopped herself. The last thing she wanted to tell Luffy was of how D kept trying to seduce her constantly. He had done a good job of it at the club four days ago.

After they had left the club, they had searched for the bounty. He had used his nose to actually find the man. The man had been completely surprised that they hadn't fallen for the trap that had been laid, and at the fact that they had actually found him. However, what had happened after that was something she would never forget.

When the men had rushed them, D had…torn them apart easily. As he had ripped apart the men, he had laughed maniacally enjoying everything he did to them. She had watched in shock as he tore through them. When he had made it to the bounty, the bounty had tried to fight back. He had put up a slight fight before succumbing to D's ruthless beating. She had watched in horror as he had beat the man senselessly to a literal bloody pulp.

Blood had splashed all over D and every where around him. She had to beg him not to kill the man. Sanity had eventually come back to his mind at her screaming for him to stop. Glancing down at the man as if seeing him for the first time, he had then looked around him and then smirked. She had only been able to shake her head at him in horrific disbelief. After they had grabbed the bounty, they had found Dabara and he had turned the man in for the cash reward.

Nami had then bought clothes for all three of them and many other essentials. Dabara had been surprised when she had asked for his size. He hadn't expected for her to care to take care of him as well. She had also asked if there were anything he had needed. Ever since then, she had noticed a change in his attitude towards her. He was actually polite to her now and seemed to become quiet when she talked to him. It didn't really matter to her either way. She had also been able to buy more food and things to re-supply the ship.

Having seen D do what he did to those men and to a bounty of fifty million beli, she was terrified of what he could do to Luffy and her nakama. They hadn't been able to find anymore bounties, so D was ready to go and find more on other islands. He was itching for a strong opponent.

Luffy listened to everything she said, and then noticed she went deep into thought. Not knowing what to tell her about him, he just sighed and then got an idea. "Since…you are here with me…We can go! We can deal with him later. I don't want you with him anymore." he said.

"No! He…he would just find us…Luffy, I can handle this. Just get stronger, okay? I will be fine. Go back to the others." she said with a bit of a frown.

"Nami?" he questioned in confusion.

"Luffy…he has ways of finding people. I wouldn't be surprised if he knew you were here. I really need to go. I can handle this. I will be fine." she said.

"Nami…I don't know about that…" he said with a huge frown.

"Please Luffy, let me do this…I can't do much, but I can stay with him to protect the others. I can give you the time you need to get stronger."

"Nami, I can't risk him hurting you again! You gotta come with me now!"

"No, Luffy! Please … You have to be patient … You have to just get stronger. I've seen him … Luffy … he will kill us … Please … Four months…isn't so bad…" she said with a nervous smile.

"Two months!"

Blinking, she looked at him in complete confusion. "What?"

"Two months, Nami. That's how long it will take me to become strong enough. I don't want you with him any longer than that…Two weeks have already almost past. I will be stronger in just a month and a half"

"Luffy…" she said quietly as her face softened. Then she smiled warmly and did the unexpected. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him in an embrace. "It's so good and refreshing to see you Luffy…It really is…" she whispered.

"Ah!" he exclaimed from the unexpected action.

Blinking a few times, his expression finally softened as he slowly lifted his arms, but didn't touch her. He wanted to wrap his arms around her, hold her tight, and tell her it would be okay, that he would protect her. Instead, his face turned sad, and he lowered his arms. She pulled away from him, and the moment was gone. When she looked into his face, he was wearing a grin.

Smiling from the refreshing familiarity of that grin, she sighed. "I better go…He might be looking for me. I don't want him to find you…Thank you Luffy. One and a half months then…I…will see you guys then…" she said as she turned to leave the alley.

He made a step forward and slight sound, reaching a hand out for her as if he had something to say. However, his expression went blank as he lowered his arm. "Of course!! Two months, Nami!!" he exclaimed, but not too loudly. She quickly turned and flashed him a smile before turning the corner and leaving his sight.

Anxiety began to build inside of him something fierce. He wanted to run after her and take her back, but he knew she was right. He wasn't nearly strong enough to defeat himself, and neither was L. Instead, he clenched his teeth and fists and forced himself to turn around.

Making his way back to N and L, he stared at the ground feeling defeated. Then he scowled in anger. "He's going to pay for this…" he whispered to himself. He honestly didn't care that it was of himself that he spoke of. He was still a different person and a horrible one at that.

"Luffy!"

Looking up, he spotted both L and N. N had a deep frown on her beautiful face. "Where did you go?!" she asked as she crossed her arms.

Closing the distance, he stopped just in front of them with a serious expression. "I found her…" he said quietly.

Both of their eyes widened. "W-What…?" whispered N in slight disbelief.

"How is she? Is she alright? Has he hurt her?" asked L in a jumble of questions.

"She's fine…for the most part." replied Luffy who kept the same expression.

"That's it? She's just fine? Did you talk to her?" asked N with a frown. She wanted to know everything.

"Aa…I talked to her…" he replied.

"Well?! What did she say?!" asked N getting impatient.

"She said she was fine and can handle being with him for a month and a half longer. He hasn't hurt her or touched her. She said…he didn't like forcing himself on women." he explained.

N drooped with relief as she sighed. "I'm so glad…I had a feeling…he wouldn't hurt her. Maybe he isn't as bad as we thought." she said with a smile.

"No…he's bad…" said Luffy as he walked in between them back to the ship.

"Luffy?" questioned N in confusion as she watched him pass them both.

"Don't worry about it Nami…" said L when Luffy was out of ear shot. "I'm pretty sure he has his reasons for saying so." he said as he watched him walk away.

Nami walked back to the shop D had gone into. As she approached it, he walked out and noticed she was walking back from somewhere. He narrowed his eyes slightly with a faint smile touching his lips.

"Where did you go?" he asked in a quiet and amused voice.

"That's not really your concern, now is it?" she said as she started past him.

However, he grabbed her arm and pulled her back to his front. Leaning forward, he began to inhale her scent and then stopped, her eyes widened in slight alarm. "I see…So…how is he doing?" he asked as he chuckled.

Pulling away from him, she turned a frown on him. "He's fine…thanks for asking…" she replied sarcastically.

"What did he want?" he asked as he stepped toward her.

"What do you think? To make sure I was fine…" she said.

He began to chuckle. "I see he understood he couldn't take you from me." he said before his face broke into a nasty smirk. "What a good boy…" he said.

Scowling, she quickly turned and continued towards their ship. She just wanted to get through this as painless as possible. As soon as they made it to the harbor, she stopped just in front of the ship. Dabara was still loading up everything into the ship. She began to help him load it up, knowing D most likely wouldn't lift a finger to help.

Once L, N and Luffy made it back to the ship, she contacted the others and told them they had made contact with Nami. After about ten minutes, everyone made it back to the ship.

"You really saw her?!"

"You saw Nami-san?!

"How was she?! Was she hurt?! Does she need medical attention?!"

"Was she unharmed…?"

"She was fine…She wasn't…hurt…" replied Luffy who's teeth were clenched. He couldn't get the bruise on her face out of his mind. He couldn't tell the crew, because he didn't want them to worry. He only hoped that she was right, that she would be okay.

"You didn't bring her back?! We could have taken her and gotten the hell out of here!" yelled Usopp.

"With what pose?!" asked Zoro. Usopp deflated as he realized that.

"It's not just the pose…Nami said he has a way of finding people…" added Luffy.

"Eh?!" they all exclaimed.

"Are you s-s-serious?!" asked Usopp nervously.

"That's incredible…" said Coby and U nodded nervously in agreement.

"How does he find people?" asked Z with furrowed brows.

"Not sure…She didn't tell me…" he replied with furrowed brows as he looked down.

"Well, let's get back on board and I will make us some lunch. We can talk about it some more while we eat…" said Sanji as he flicked his spent cigarette.

Everyone nodded and began making their way aboard the ship. Luffy turned back to the town, thinking of Nami. He was still worried about her. Looking around at everything, he sighed. Then he spotted them. His eyes widened as he stepped forward. Nami and some other little man were stocking the ship with things. He watched as the small man took up the last load. His face broke into a scowl when he spotted his other self observing with a nasty smirk on his face. Stepping forward, he itched to beat that stupid smirk off of his smug face.

D's eyes twitched as a familiar scent lingered in the air around him. Looking around curiously, he spotted the source of the stench. His smirk widened as he released a small chuckle in amusement.

Luffy clenched his teeth tightly when his eyes met with his. Then he balled up his fist tightly to the point of pain.

Highly amused at the fact that he was just watching him and not making a move, he shifted his eyes to Nami as a thought occurred to him. Walking towards her, he pressed his body against hers and began to whisper in her ear. She turned her head away slightly and closed her eyes with a frown, but didn't move away from him. D never removed his eyes from Luffy's.

Beginning to growl in anger of what he was doing, he clenched his teeth tighter, grating them together as his nails dug into his palms. Then he watched in angry disbelief as he began to kiss and lick at Nami's neck. She said something in return to his other self, but never attempted to move away from him. Not once had he removed his eyes from Luffy's. He slid his arm around Nami and pulled her closer to his body.

Nami furrowed her brows further, but only seemed to tilt her head to the side. He leaned forward and began to whisper in her ear again. After he finished whispering in her ear, he released her. She moved away from him and looked at him over her shoulder. She turned back around and continued on and boarded the ship. D watched her walk away, before turning back to look at Luffy with a huge, smug smirk on his face.

By now, Luffy was baring his teeth at him. D chuckled and then turned away. Stepping forward, Luffy couldn't take it anymore. He needed to wipe that smirk off of his face. However, someone grabbed his shoulder tightly.

Startled, he made a noise as he quickly turned to the owner of the hand. L was just behind him and staring at the other self with a death glare. His grip on Luffy's shoulder was tight and painful.

"Not yet…" he said in a very quiet but dangerous voice. "His time will come…" he continued as he released Luffy's shoulder.

Turning back towards the other self, both stared at him with the same deadly glare as they watched him board the ship and sail away. N looked over the rail, wondering why neither had come aboard. When she saw their expression she inhaled sharply and widened her eyes.

"L?" she questioned. Both seemed to look startled as they looked up at her. "What…what's wrong?" she asked.

"It's nothing…" said L with a serious expression before smiling gently. "Let's go to the others and wait for the food." he said as he made his way aboard.

Turning back to the retreating ship, Luffy's frown deepened. N looked from L to Luffy and then in the direction he was looking in. In the distance, she could make out a ship. Her eyes widened. 'Was that…them…?' she thought before she frowned sadly. After the ship was out of sight, Luffy slowly turned and made his way onto the ship.

**To Be Continued…**

**Author's Note: ** What a bastard!! XO Ah, but I love him and he is so smexy…Ah! So, what did you guys think?! XD Tell me all about it! I want your reviews! By the way, the two songs I imagined for the whole dance scene was Sean Paul's Temperature for when D was dancing with the two girls, and the song I imagined for when he was dancing with Nami was Tapping The Vein's Bleed. I recommend you guys try reading them while listening to those two songs. It adds to the effect! XD If you can't find Bleed, I will post it on Youtube if you care to listen to it. 8D

**P.S. **Dude! I hadn't even realized I had put it as if Chopper were swimming! XD It was indeed a mistake, seeing as I know Chopper can't swim…Thanks for pointing this out to me Nitro! XD


	7. Chapter 7: Protecting and Saving

**Author's Note: **Chapter 7, yay! XD I had a little trouble with this chapter…I pretty much know what to do with D and Nami in the next chapter, but not for Luffy! TT Oh well, I will think of something. I always do…Well! Enough about that! XD Here is the next chapter! Please review and enjoy!

**Crossed**

**Chapter 7: Protecting and Saving**

Zoro and Z both had their captains' arms wrapped around their shoulders as they dragged them back to the ship. It had been one hell of a scary show to watch the two tear each other apart. Both wondered what had made them both so aggressive. Their furious battle cries had even made both Usopp's nervous. They had beaten each other to the point of unconsciousness. The past two days hadn't been any better.

As they dragged them onto the ship, N only sighed as she looked at them. She had gotten used to the state they kept getting brought back in. Frowning, she looked at both Zoro's. "Take them to Chopper, please…" she said quietly before turning away.

Both Zoro's did as they were told. As soon as they entered the infirmary, Chopper was already ready for them with a frown. "Set whichever, where ever…" he said as he motioned to the bed and cot.

Both did as they were told and left the room. As soon as they made it back on deck, N turned to them. "What happened now?" she asked.

"They have been a lot more aggressive over the past few days…They were not like this when we were on that island." explained Z.

She furrowed her brows. "Aggressive?" she asked.

"Aa…it's kinda scary…" said Usopp with a frown.

N turned to him with her own frown. "Why are they like this? Is it because we found Nami…Do you think they are just trying harder?" she asked.

"Maybe…but they seem angry to me…" said Franky.

"Angry…? Why would they be…?" N stopped when she recalled L and Luffy's attitudes of lately. Both seemed a little curt and not as cheerful. They still laughed a bit, but L hadn't really talked to her, even though he had promised that night they played chess to not neglect her even in training.

Then she recalled their expressions when they had been watching Nami sail away. '_Had something happened_?' she thought to herself. Sighing, she decided not to think about it anymore.

Groaning, Luffy reached up and grabbed his head as he sat up. "Luffy! You shouldn't be getting up! Lie back down so I can bandage you up." demanded Chopper as he placed a hoof on Luffy's chest.

"I'm fine Chopper. Besides, there's no point. I'm not done yet. I want to go back out there and finish up." he said as he got off the bed.

"Oi, Luffy, but I said…" started Chopper, but was interrupted.

Luffy lifted his leg and shoved L with his foot. "Oi! Wake up!" he half yelled.

Groaning and rolling onto his side in slight pain, L slowly opened his eyes and looked up at Luffy's stern expression. "We're not done yet." said Luffy as he stared down at him.

Nodding, L slowly sat up and got off of the cot. "_Luffy_! I said you need to lie back down!" said Chopper with his own stern face.

Luffy turned a serious frown on Chopper. "We aren't done yet. We can still go for a little longer." he said in a quiet, but stern voice.

"Aa…I still got some left in me." said L as he and Luffy began to walk out.

"Wait!!" yelled Chopper, but the door was shut in his face. Scowling in irritation, he opened the door and chased them down. "Luffy!! L!!" he yelled.

N turned to Chopper's cries. Frowning, she watched as both L and Luffy came down the stairs. "L, Luffy!" she said as she stood and walked over to them. "What do you think you're doing?!" she said.

"We are going to train for a little bit longer." said Luffy as he started for the railing.

"Like hell you are!!" she yelled as she stomped over to them.

Turning, both frowned at her. "We need to get stronger! We only have one more day to be on this island! Nami is counting on me!" he said.

"I understand that, Luffy! But rest is also very important! Look at you! You have lost so much blood already that the both of you are as white as sheets! You are _not_ going back out there today!!" she yelled.

"I have to get stronger! Maybe you can be calm and want to rest, because you're here and she is there! I won't let him hurt her again!!" yelled Luffy. However, N's hand met with his face forcefully. He was caught by surprise as he stared to the side, wide eyed.

"Because I'm here?!" she yelled angrily, and even a little hurt by his words, before thinking about everything he said. "Wait…hurt her…again? Luffy what are you talking about?!" she asked a little alarmed. The rest of the crew recovered from their shock to let what she asked sink in.

Luffy's shocked expression turned into a frown, but he didn't turn back to her. He hadn't meant to blurt that out. Blinking with a frown, L came to Luffy's front. "Luffy?" he questioned.

"I didn't mean to say that…" he finally replied.

"Luffy, what did you mean by not letting him hurt her again?! Did you lie to us?!" asked N.

"No…she's fine…but…" he started to say.

"But?! Luffy spit it out!!" yelled Sanji.

Sighing, he closed his eyes. After awhile, he turned to them with an angry frown. "He hit her." he said.

"What?!" everyone exclaimed and then began to ask questions all at once.

"What do you mean hit her?!"

"I thought you said she was fine!! Was she hurt?!"

"You bastard, why didn't you say anything?!"

"Why did you leave Nami with that psycho?!"

"Wait, wait!! Hold on!" yelled N to get everyone to shut up. Then she turned to Luffy with a concerned expression. "Luffy…why didn't you tell us he had hit her?" she asked.

"I didn't want you all to worry about her…She said she could handle him…" he explained.

"So you took all the worry onto yourself?!" she asked and then she turned to L. "You didn't even tell L…" she said as she turned back to him. Then her face turned confused. "Wait…then why have you both been so moody and aggressive lately?" she asked.

"That's not important…"

"It's nothing…"

N's face turned impatient as she frowned. "I want to talk to the both of you alone…" she said in a low demanding voice. Both looked like they were about to speak and insist it was nothing. Her expression only turned sterner. "Now!" she said loudly.

Both held their tongues before either nodding, or looking down. Then both turned towards the aquarium room.

xxxx

Walking through the over grown jungle, Nami made her way to who knew where. They had just landed and it was a fairly big town. However, there was still quite a bit of jungle on the island. She had gone into town to find some bounties. Dabara and D had stayed with the ship. For some reason, D had been in a weird quiet mood. He hadn't wanted to go into town. When she had gotten back, Dabara had told her that he had taken off into the wilderness.

So now, here she was making her way through the wilderness to find him. Of course, she had no idea in which direction he had gone. Also, she wasn't even quite sure why she was looking for him. It was probably a bad idea, considering they would be alone in a very big jungle. However, her feet just kind of found themselves walking towards the jungle. He was still Luffy, regardless of the fact that he were from another world, and quite insane. However, she felt uneasy without him.

It wasn't that she didn't trust Dabara. Over the past three days, he had actually been kind and respectful towards her. She had no idea, of course, as to what caused the change, but she was grateful for it. His current attitude made her feel quite safe. Although, it still didn't change the fact that she was uneasy if she weren't near D. She sometimes got that feeling when she was away from Luffy for so long as well. Of course, it was just because she knew he would protect her if she were ever in a bind.

Just in front of her, a clearing opened, and she noticed she had climbed up some distance over the past twenty minutes. The town and harbor could be seen very clearly down below from where she stood. There was also a cliff just ahead of her, and on the cliff, the object of her search. Staying where she was for some time, she just watched him. He seemed so at peace where he stood. Blinking slowly, she couldn't help but to wonder what went on in his head.

His side was facing her as he had his face tilted up to the sky and eyes closed. He looked exactly like he did when he was concentrating on smells. With the sun shining through the clouds right on him, he almost seemed ethereal. She couldn't help but notice he wasn't wearing his shirt. She could see the tip of his massive dragon tattoo. She continued to watch, not wanting to disturb him. Then suddenly, he slowly opened his eyes to the sky above.

With them, her lips parted. What was it about him that was so different? Or was there any difference at all? It was as if her eyes were opened to the possibilities. Her eyes continued to watch as he slowly lifted his arms out to his sides. Her brows furrowed in curiosity to what he was doing. Then her eyes widened in horror when he allowed himself to lean forward. She knew what lay below. When he continued to tilt forward without stopping and disappeared over the edge, she panicked.

"_No_!!" she screamed as she ran out from the jungle. However, he was already gone. Running to the edge, she fell to her knees and looked over the side.

The crashing waves greeted him down below. Without hesitation, she stood up and jumped in after him. As soon as she hit the water, quite painfully, she came back up for air, and dove back under to find him. What she wasn't expecting, was for arms to reach out and grab her. Gasping under the water, she was harshly pulled up to the surface. As soon as she broke the surface, she gasped for air and began to cough.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

Blinking her eyes to clear her vision and from slight shock, she stared into D's less than pleased face. "You-You…You can swim!" she exclaimed.

"Of course I can swim! What the hell is wrong with you?! Are you out of your mind?!" he yelled into her face.

She almost wanted to laugh at his ironic question. She almost did too. "I-I just…He…can't swim…um…because of his abilities…I thought…you would drown…" she explained in a stuttered sentence.

He made an expression of displeased disbelief before grabbing her arm, and dragging her back to shore. He swam quite perfectly, even with one arm. As soon as they were on shore, he continued to drag her along behind him by her arm.

Blinking at his back, she wondered what he was so mad about. Glancing down, she took another look at his tattoo. She was close enough to see it. Then her eyes widened. '_Those spirals_!_ They…They look like the Devil Fruit spirals_!' she thought to herself. The dragon had been placed on top of the spirals. Considering the way he responded to the tattoo the first time and how upset he was now, she was afraid to ask about them.

They both arrived back at the ship. He pulled her forward, and shoved her towards it. Frowning, she made her way on deck. '_What is he so upset about_?' she thought. He couldn't possibly be upset that she had risked her safety to save him. As soon as his feet touched the deck, he stormed off to the bathroom and slammed the door behind him. Cringing at the sound, she stared at the door with a confused frown.

"Uh…what happened? And why are you all wet?" asked Dabara as he looked from the door to her in confusion.

"Umm…I'm not really sure what just happened…" replied Nami in confusion.

"Uh…you should probably change your clothes…" he said as he turned away and climbed up the to the bird's nest above.

Looking down, Nami's eyes slightly widened. She did indeed need to change her clothes. Glancing up at Dabara who had just disappeared over the side, she tilted her head to the side curiously. She couldn't help but to remember when she had first met him. He had leered at her, and now he was telling her she should change and had turned away from her. Sighing, she crossed her arms and made her way to the cabin.

xxxx

"He-He really…did that?" asked N as she gulped air.

"Aa…" replied L.

"And…she…didn't do anything?" she asked quietly with a deep frown as sweat beaded down her face.

"I have a feeling she didn't have much choice…" he said.

"That's…really horrible…How…cruel…" she said as she turned to Luffy, who was turned away with his eyes concealed. That wasn't something he wanted to be reminded of, and definitely had no intention of telling anyone about it, even though it had been L who had done all of the talking. "I…think I understand now…why…" she started to say. Then her frown turned sad. "I'm really sorry…Luffy." she said.

Getting up, she walked over to him, reached out and pulled him to her. Making a small noise, his eyes widened, startled at her having hugged him. He had immediately raised his arms in surprise. After while, he calmed down as he furrowed his brows and then slowly lowered his arms.

L looked on with a frown. He didn't like what had happened either, and could definitely understand what his counterpart was feeling. N had no idea what she would have done if she had ever been in Nami's place. However, she wasn't sure she would be able to sit and take what he did. However, she also had to remind herself that he was Luffy. Would she still be attracted to a different Luffy? However, she kind of knew the answer to that. At that, she felt herself blush lightly as she pulled away from Luffy.

Head lowered and eyes concealed, Luffy's gaze remained on the floor. Frowning down at him, she realized the predicament for what it was. She was sure he was upset about Nami having not done anything to stop the other counterpart. Sighing, she couldn't help but to feel sorry for both for being put in such a horrible situation. Then she began to wonder if Nami had to put up with it on a regular basis. Would she be able to resist him for as long as she had to be with him?

However, she shook her head and gave a stern face. '_Of course she can!_' she thought to herself. However, she again had to remember that they didn't have a relationship here, but that didn't mean she would give in to a different Luffy other than her own. Sighing again, her face turned a bit sad as she looked down at Luffy.

"I'm sure everything will be alright, Luffy. Nami can handle anything thrown at her! I know she can! She will get past this." she said as she placed a hand on his shoulder.

She watched as he slowly reached up and placed a hand over hers on his shoulder. Then he gave it a gentle squeeze before removing it and standing up. Gasping softly, she stepped back to give him more room to stand. Without raising his head, he just walked out of the room.

L had just stayed silent and had allowed his Nami to comfort the other Luffy. He was sure he needed it. He had been a bit confused about her actions in between, but didn't think too much on it. Frowning deeper as the door closed, she turned to L. Sighing, he stood and went to her.

"I'm sure you helped him. He just needs some time alone." he said as he pulled her to him gently.

"Un…I know…I just wish there was more we could do for him. I understand this whole ordeal must be difficult on him…and her……L…?" she called as she looked up into his face with a thoughtful expression.

"Hmm?" he questioned as he looked down at her.

"I…I was thinking about…Nami…" she said.

"Oh? And, what about?" he asked curiously.

"Well…I was thinking about what that other Luffy…did to her…" she said tentatively.

Pulling away slightly, he furrowed his brows slightly to look at her better. "What do you mean?" he asked uncertain as to what she was getting at.

"It's just…it must be hard for her…I mean…he is still Luffy…She…might still be attracted to him…" she explained as a slight blush crept up her cheeks and she shifted her eyes away from his.

"What?!" he exclaimed as he clutched her shoulders and pushed her away to look at her even better.

"I-I-I'm just saying that...! I mean…Ahh!" she exclaimed as she turned even redder and became frustrated.

"Nami, what are you trying to say?!" he asked and seemed slightly appalled.

Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm herself. "I'm just saying that he is still Luffy no matter how he is! If we really are all destined to be with the same person then…it's possible she might actually be attracted to him. Even if he is still from a different world…He is still…well you…and Luffy…He _is _Luffy! Just like _you_ are Luffy…" she explained a bit rushed and heated.

Blinking a few times in disbelief, he furrowed his brows and tried hard to let it sink in, even if he didn't want it to. "I-I…never…thought of it that way before…" he said as his expression turned pained and sweat beaded down his face. "Do you think…he…thought about that…?" he asked wondering if he would have thought about it, had it been his Nami in the other Nami's position. Then suddenly, he felt a little sick in his stomach.

"I…I don't know…Maybe…I did wonder…" she said as she frowned sadly.

He had been a bit afraid of that answer. Drooping a bit, he frowned sadly in return. "You don't think…he feels betrayed…do you?" he asked.

"I don't know…I also had to remember, they don't have a relationship…She…wasn't his…and still isn't…I guess that isn't the point…He still is a horrible person…" she said.

Staring at the ground, he let all of this sink into his gut painfully. He definitely couldn't imagine what his counterpart was going through, but he did know how it made _him_ feel. He quickly and roughly pulled N into his arms and held her tight. Gasping, startled by his sudden action, her eyes widened slightly. Then she realized how he must be feeling, frowning sadly again, she wrapped her arms around him and held him just as tightly as he buried his face in her neck.

"Luffy…I'm sorry…I didn't mean to…" she started to say.

"No…it's alright…" he said, interrupting her. "Nami…" he called.

"Yes, Luffy?" she asked.

"I love you…Don't ever forget that…" he said.

She furrowed her brows deeper in her sad frown. "Luffy…?" she questioned.

He squeezed her tighter as he closed his eyes tightly. "I love you Nami…" he repeated in a whisper.

Relaxing her expression, she felt herself smile softly as she buried her face in his shoulder. "I love you too, Luffy…Always…" she finally replied.

Pulling back slightly, L took N's lips with his almost forcefully…almost desperately. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled him close to let him know she would always be there for him.

xxxx

Sitting alone in the cabin again, it was something she was used to, she stared out of the window, mindlessly. All she could ponder about was his reaction to her having jumped in after him. He hadn't even asked about the bounties. Although, she figured he would probably ask eventually, as a matter of fact, sooner rather than later. Why had he been so upset? What had he been thinking about when he had let himself fall? Why had he done that?

One thing she was sure about, he didn't care about her. There had to be a reason as to why he had been upset. This Luffy seemed to really be digging at her curiosity. What made this Luffy tick? Even if it was a horrible and off tick…To her, it seemed almost impossible for his tick to be corrected.

Suddenly, the door opened, and D walked in. She shifted her eyes to their corners as she watched him walk in. He didn't even look at her and just continued towards the closet. Her eyes shifted downward, noticing he only wore a towel around his waist and nothing else. She blinked a few times as her eyes widened a bit. As soon as he reached the closet, he reached up and unwrapped the towel, letting it fall to the ground around his ankles.

Eyes widening in complete shock, she stifled a gasp by slapping her hand over her mouth and quickly turned away. She prayed he hadn't heard her. Sweat beaded down her face as her breathing quickened and became ragged in nervousness. She could hear and feel her rapid heart beat. Movement could be heard behind her. She quickly shut her eyes, too afraid to look towards him. One, he could still be nude and catch her looking, which would invite unwanted attention towards her. Two, he could be making his way over to her in his nude state.

Squeezing her eyes tighter, she hugged herself as she kept her hand over her mouth. After awhile, when nothing happened, she opened her eyes and blinked a few times. Removing her hand, she sat up a little straighter, but was still too afraid to look his way. Keeping her gaze towards the window, she stared out at nothing and just waited.

After about a minute, she heard movement again, this time coming closer to her. She cautiously turned her head, but not completely. When he came into her peripheral vision, she could see that he was clothed. Turning the rest of the way, she had a frown on her face when she regarded him. He had a nasty, half grin on his face. His hair was still damp and pulled away from his face, slicked towards the back.

His grin indicated he was now back to normal, if you could call what he was, normal… "So, about those bounties…" he said.

Blinking her eyes slowly and looking away from him, she stood and made her way to the bag she had left on the bed before having gone to look for him.

"There are quite a few rumored to be here…One in particular…has a really high bounty on his head…" she said as she opened the bag and pulled out a few posters. Turning, she held them out for him to take.

Walking up to her, he reached out a hand and took the bounties from her. Looking them over, his smirk grew bigger and bigger at each poster. After awhile, he began to chuckle. "Not bad…" he said quietly.

"We'll start with the smaller ones first…" she said. This was rewarded with a quick look of displeasure. "We save the best for last…" she persisted with a look of determination. "He's worth way too much…We take him down first, the rest will run…I want my money." she said.

Staring at her for a long while, he glanced back down at the bounties. "Fine…" he replied after awhile.

Smiling in satisfaction, she walked up and grabbed the posters from him. "Good! We will start with this one. There are rumors he likes to hang out at a specific bar!" she said looking down at it.

Quickly looking at her once she grabbed the posters away, he furrowed his brows deeper. However, his frown slowly disappeared at her bright smile. His eyes twitched, and then he turned away to leave the cabin. Nami followed right behind him.

Once in town, she led the way to the bar, which was rumored the bounty frequently visited. Dabara had also decided to come this time.

"He should be in there." she said.

As she was about to step forward and go inside, Dabara quickly stepped forward, and went inside first. Making a slight startled noise, she furrowed her brows at his back in slight confusion. Chuckling beside her, D then walked in after Dabara. Now staring at his back in confusion, she then also made her way inside. As soon as she stepped inside, both were already looking around at all of the faces.

Looking around as well, she noticed Dabara perk up from the corner of her eyes. She looked over at him and noticed his eyes were focused. D also glanced in the direction Dabara was looking in.

Dabara turned to Nami. "There." he said as he turned back to where he had been looking.

Looking in the direction he was directing her to look, she spotted the bounty. Smirking in satisfaction, she made her way to the bounty, D and Dabara close behind. The bounty drunkenly glanced up at them once he had managed to see them from the corner of his eyes. Becoming alarmed by them, he stood up and stumbled backwards. Stopping where she was, Nami frowned at the skittish man.

"Stay back!" he yelled as he pulled out a gun. Dabara furrowed his brows and stepped forward slightly. "Don't move!! Are…are you after my bounty?! I won't go down so easy!!" he continued to yell.

Chuckling low and nasty, D stepped forward, not one bit intimidated by the man's gun. Both Dabara and Nami turned to him. "I'm afraid…that won't do you any good…" he said.

"Y-You….I…I know you…You're…You're that devil fruit user, pirate captain!! Uh…Lo…La…hic…uh…" He was having trouble remembering his name. Then he shrugged not really caring. However, he did know he couldn't be harmed with bullets. Instead, he aimed his gun to the person next to him, Nami.

Dabara's eyes widened when he saw where the man aimed his gun. As soon as he saw the man's trigger finger squeeze the trigger, he quickly stepped in front of her, taking the bullet instead. Not wasting any time, D lunged forward, grabbing the man's neck, shoving him up against the wall and knocking the gun out of his hand. The man cried out as best he could with D's hand tightly around his neck. His legs dangled below him as he struggled to get free.

The force of the gun shot had knocked both Dabara and Nami to the ground. Gasping as soon as they hit the ground, her eyes widened as she looked down at Dabara. "O-Oi!!" she cried as she sat up, carefully lifting him up with her.

With clenched teeth and sweat beading down his face, he grabbed a hold of his wound. Looking down, he checked the damage to see how bad the wound was. The bullet seemed to be lodged in his side, and blood was seeping nonstop from the wound.

"Wh-Why…did you….? Are you alright?!" stuttered Nami as she crawled out from under him to look at his wound.

"I'll…be fine…" he said through clenched teeth.

Keeping his hold on the bounty, D's smirk turned into a nasty grin. "The poster says… 'Dead or Alive…'" he said as he also began to chuckle.

Gasping, Nami quickly looked up at him with wide eyes. Then she got up quickly and ran to him. "No don't!" she yelled as she grabbed his arm. "Please!" she cried.

Turning to her, his face darkened. "Don't tell me what to do…" he said.

"We don't have time for this! Please! Just tie him up! Dabara's been shot! Isn't he important to you? Don't you need him?!" she asked, slightly frantic.

Glancing behind him, he looked down at the smaller man as blood seeped through his wound. He was in the process of putting pressure on it to stop the bleeding. Shifting his eyes back to Nami, he narrowed them further. Turning back to the nervous man, he brought back his arm and slammed his fist into the man's face.

Gasping in alarm, she gave a short, startled cry. "Fine…" he said as the man slumped over, unconscious.

Once she was sure he wouldn't kill the man, she ran back over to Dabara who was still bleeding ceaselessly. He glanced up at her as she as she dropped to her knees. She looked him over and then turned towards the bartender. "Give me a clean towel, now!!" she demanded. Dabara blinked at her a few times. She was actually worried about him. He glanced downwards as a slight pink tinge stained his face.

The bartender quickly ran to the back and then came out with a towel. Snatching it from him, she quickly pressed it against his wound to try and stop the bleeding. Grinding his teeth from the pain, he growled through clenched teeth, but tried his best not to move.

As soon as D was done tying up their bounty, she helped Dabara to his feet. He immediately stepped away from her and tried to walk on his own. Frowning at his back, she followed behind him and made sure he didn't fall.

"We need to go back to the ship and treat his wounds. He won't be able to turn in the bounty this way…" she explained as she began to walk back to the ship. Stopping, she turned to make sure Dabara was behind her.

Following her towards the ship, Dabara limped painfully behind her with a hand covering the wound on his side. With a displeased frown, D also followed behind them, dragging the bounty behind him. As soon as they were back on the ship, she directed Dabara to the bathroom. Once inside, she sat him on a stool and then went to find something to remove the bullet with. She gathered up a needle and thread to sew him back up. When she got back to the bathroom, she looked for the bandages, disinfectant and clean towels.

Walking back to him, she frowned. "Remove your shirt if you can…" she said in a soft voice.

Nodding, he tried his best to remove his shirt while clenching his teeth from the pain. Dropping it on the floor, he turned to her and nodded. Gulping air, she looked down at all of the blood seeping from the wound. She had seen lots of blood plenty of times before. However, it was never her that had to worry about it. At that moment, it was Chopper she missed.

She also happened to notice he had a nice build. Even though he had a smaller body, it was still well toned in all the right places. At second glance, she happened to notice he wasn't bad looking by any means. Blinking to clear her thought, she remembered the task at hand.

Leaning down, she used a clean, warm, and damp towel to clean away the blood. Then she grabbed the tool to try and pull out the bullet after having disinfected it. "This is going to hurt…" she said.

Nodding, he clenched his teeth down harder, waiting for the pain. Taking a deep breath, she lowered the tool towards his wound. Kneeling down to see better, she stuck the tool inside and attempted to find the bullet. Crying out through clenched teeth from the pain, Dabara tried his best to stay still. Sweat beaded down his face, as he clenched his eyes shut tightly. Digging around with the tool, she finally made contact with the bullet. Trying to get a hold of the bullet with the tool, sweat began to bead down her face nervously.

Perking up a bit, she was finally sure she had a good enough grip on the bullet. She slowly began to remove the tool. In doing this, Dabara cried out through his clenched teeth again from the pain.

"I almost got it…" she said as the tool finally came out, with the bullet. Smiling, she lifted the bullet up to look at it. "I got it!" she exclaimed as she grinned.

Smiling as best he could, Dabara looked up at her. "Thank you…" he said.

Glancing down at him in slight surprise, she blinked at him a few times. "Uh…no problem…" she replied. Disposing the bullet, she then set about the task of disinfecting the wound, sewing it up, and then bandaging it up.

When she was done, he smiled and then went to stand. However, he lost his balance when he became dizzy from the loss of blood. "Ah!" exclaimed Nami as she reached out to catch him before he fell.

As she did, she felt how hot his skin was. Reaching up a hand, she placed it on his forehead. "You have a fever…" she said as she frowned. "Come on…You can rest in my bed until you get better." she continued.

Furrowing his brows and slightly widening his eyes, Dabara looked up at her quickly. "I-I can't do that…Where…Where would you sleep?" he asked.

"Don't worry about me…We have to make the fever go down. You have to rest." she said.

Then she helped him as best she could towards her room. Head lowered and his bright red hair concealing his equally bright green eyes, a slight pink tinge could be seen across his slightly freckle, sprinkled nose.

"By the way…thank you…for what you did…" said Nami.

Glancing upwards a bit, his blush slightly deepened. "D-Don't worry about it…" he replied quietly.

When they were in the room, she gently helped him ease onto the bed as to not reopen his wound. "Why did you do it?" she asked, curious.

Looking away, he lay down on the bed. "I…I don't know…" he replied.

Looking down at him, she noticed the slight blush across his cheeks and then felt herself smiling. He was pretty cute…for a bad guy. However, she was beginning to wonder about him. "I've noticed…you've been a little nicer to me…Why?" she asked even more curious.

Frowning, he could feel his face heating up further. "Because…no one has ever been so nice to me before…or looked out for me…You bought me clothes and things…I needed…" he replied quietly.

Her eyes widened in surprise. '_Never been nice_…?' she thought to herself.

"Why are _you_ nice to _me_?" he asked in return.

"To be honest…I'm just used to looking out for people…" she replied with a bit of a frown.

Finally turning to look at her, he wore a serious expression. "You look out for your crew?" he asked.

"Well, sorta…I mean, I make sure they have the things they need…" she said.

"You didn't have to do that for me…I wasn't very nice…when we first met…" he said.

Shrugging, she looked away a bit. "You're nice now…It doesn't matter how you were before…and I already told you…I'm just used to looking out for people…" she said a little embarrassed by his words. Then she looked back at him. "Let me get some cold water and a wash cloth so we can lower your fever…" she said as she turned to walk out.

"Thank you…for looking out for me…I…really do appreciate it…" he said quietly before she could leave.

Standing in place for awhile, she finally turned a smile on him. "Don't worry about it…" she replied with his words before walking out to get the needed items.

xxxx

After leaving the aquarium room, Luffy made his way to the observation room.

"Oi, what happened?" asked Sanji.

Ignoring him completely, Luffy continued on to the observation room. Furrowing his brows, Sanji just watched him turn the corner. "Che!" he exclaimed in annoyance. "I can't believe he hadn't told us about Nami-san!" he exclaimed in his irritation.

"He said he didn't want any of us to worry about her…" said Chopper.

"Yeah, but that's not something you keep to yourself!" he yelled in return.

"Isn't it?" asked Zoro as he shifted narrowed eyes to Sanji.

Z was looking at Sanji with the same thought in mind as Zoro. Frowning, S looked on and then sighed. Frowning deeply, Sanji looked at everyone else. Each was frowning at him.

"If the captain decided that he would keep that information to himself so that we wouldn't worry about it…then it's his right. Also…" started Zoro, however, he didn't complete his sentence. He only glanced away and kept silent. However, he didn't have to complete his sentence. Sanji already knew what he was going to say. Also, if Nami really did belong to Luffy, then it was definitely his right.

Clenching his teeth, he shifted his eyes to the ground and didn't say anymore.

Opening the door to the observation room slowly, Luffy made his way inside. Closing the door behind him, he slowly made his way inside. As he stared at her desk, his expression remained expressionless. Walking up to it, he reached up, running his fingertips across the top as he walked around it. There was still a map laid out on top of it with the pen and ink ready.

Leaning forward, he then gently ran his fingertips over the unfinished map. His eyes turned slightly sad. He was worried…something he rarely ever did. The last time he had been worried, was when he wasn't sure if Usopp would come back to the crew. It wasn't that he didn't have worries, because he did. However, he tried his hardest not to worry about much, especially about small things.

However, Nami was no small thing. He was beginning to worry if he would ever get her back. He was also beginning to regret allowing her to go back to him. He had never walked away from a fight before, even when he was told the enemy was incredibly strong. He had known deep down that he could win. Even when he wasn't sure he could win, in Aokiji's case, he had still stepped up to the challenge.

However, they were asking him to be patient. Something he wasn't really good at, not only that, but he had challenged him to get stronger. Did he really want to become strong enough to challenge himself? He had known he wasn't nearly strong enough to defeat his counterpart. He would have made quick and easy work of him, and then most likely have killed his entire crew without a second thought. That was something, he couldn't allow, something…he couldn't die knowing…even though he had almost done just though, gotten them all killed. If it hadn't been for L, he might have done just that.

Gripping the edge of the desk tightly with both hands, he leaned forward further, slumping his shoulders. It had been difficult to accept, and he knew he had made the right choice by doing as they said. Also … she had been right…The crew needed protecting, and right now…that's what she was doing. He knew that she was strong, and that she would do anything for them, even if it meant staying for one and a half months with a complete psycho, even if it meant…being abused by him.

Clenching his teeth and narrowing his eyes, his grip on the desk tightened, the pressure causing the wood to creek. He would pay for hitting her…He would make sure of it, and for anything else he might do to her in the next month and a half. The rubber captain hoped she had been right about him not liking to force himself on women. He was not inclined to killing people, but if that ever happened to Nami, he just might change his mind. It didn't matter that that person was another him.

Then his thoughts shifted to what his other self had done to Nami in the harbor. He had been mocking him, rubbing his weakness in his face. The wood began to dent under his monstrously tight grip. He had also been showing how far he could go with Nami. Grinding his teeth, he took a few deep breaths to calm himself down.

What he had seen bothered him a great deal, and for a moment, he had been doubtful, but he had quickly dismissed it. He trusted her. He would never doubt his nakama. He couldn't…Glancing back up at her map, his brows furrowed in a deep, sad frown, he closed his eyes and took a deep, slow breath. He had to remain patient, even if that wasn't his strong point. He had to remain strong, for her.

Standing up straighter, he stared at the desk a little while longer before turning and slowly making his way out. Opening the door, he turned and gave one last look around the room, before turning back, walking out, and closing the door behind him.

**To Be Continued…**

**Author's Note: **I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! D can swim too! XD Since they got their abilities in different ways and not by a fruit, they don't have the problem that Luffy has. Also, during the moment with N and L, the song that inspired what happened between them was Burn Season's Perfect. Great song! Ah, and I bet you weren't expecting that Dabara was actually cute! XP I hope to some how get a pick of him for you guys! (-Has asked Mihase-)Well, thanks so much for reading! Please tell me what you thought in a review! I really enjoy reading those!

**P.S. **Hmm…FFnet seems to have removed the ability to use dashes to separate paragraphs…So x's will have to do…


	8. Chapter 8: Explanation

Crossed

**Author's Note:**__Gaw! I totally spazzed again and completely forgot to post L's picture! Mihase drew L for me! XD Anyways, here is the link. ( http (:) (/) (/) s245 . photobucket . com / albums / gg 49 / Confession68 / ? action view & current Sketch005 . jpg ). Just make sure to remove all the spaces and the (). I hope you all like him! I know I did! XD Here is Dabara's sketch that she drew! ( http (:) (/) () s245 . photobucket . com /albums / gg49 / Confession68 / ?action view & current Sketch006 . jpg). ( Same as above. ) I hope you all enjoy this chapter! XD Please review and enjoy!

**Crossed**

**Chapter 8: Explanation**

When D had found out that Dabara occupied their bed, he had been a little more than annoyed. In his annoyance, he did not hesitate to express his dislike for it to Nami.

"He's injured and has a fever! He needs to sleep! He also needs to be somewhere comfortable in order to heal! He's been shot for crying out loud!" she yelled at him in her annoyance. At the moment, she did _not _care _who_ he was.

"Does it have to be in my bed…?" he asked with narrowed eyes.

"Where else is it going to be?!" she yelled back. At his silence, she felt herself calming down a bit. "He needs someone to look out for him at all hours…I need to be near him. I will sleep on the small window seat in there. I can buy a cot for you, if you want…" she said.

"A cot…?" he asked as his eyes narrowed further.

"Yes, a cot." she replied also narrowing her eyes.

"Then make sure it's a big cot…" he said.

"Fine…whatever…" she said, feeling herself becoming angry at his selfishness. Then she had to recall she could be just as selfish. Eyes twitching a bit, she pushed that thought aside. Her selfishness was different.

"Big enough for two…" he finished with a slight smirk playing on his lips.

Inhaling a bit sharply, but not noticeably, her brows furrowed a bit. "For two…?" she asked through slightly clenched teeth, in disbelief.

"That's right…Don't think you can get away with not having to sleep with me by letting that pussy have the bed." he said as his smirk widened.

Scowling at his words, she lifted her chin into the air. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out some money and threw it at his chest, not caring as it hit the floor. "Then buy your own damn cot…" she said in a low, shaky voice, through her clenched teeth as she turned away.

However, she felt a tight grip on her arm. Twirling about, she lashed out an arm to strike, but was quickly relieved of that notion when her wrist was caught roughly. The face that greeted her was dark and extremely displeased.

"Let go!" she screamed in a strained voice.

"Buy my own…?" he said in a voice that caused a shiver to run up her spine.

"Let…go of me…" she said through clenched teeth. Hissing when his grip on her wrist and arm only got tighter, she began to struggle against him as fear began to rise in her throat.

He stepped closer into her as his expression turned darker, his teeth clenched and bare. "Buy…my own…?" he repeated a little louder.

Refusing to allow him to see her fear, she only scowled back at him. "That's right…you heartless bastard…I could give a damn about your _comfort_…He is injured and I don't appreciate how you are acting towards him…He saved my life…" she said in his defense and with some defiance.

Dabara saved her life and was willing to sacrifice his own for hers. That said a lot in her book and did _not_ like D's attitude towards him. Also, she most _certainly_ did not appreciate the 'pussy' remark.

"You're defending him…" he said more than asked.

"That's right! I am!" she screamed.

She almost cried out when his grip tightened further, with it, his scowl darkened even further and his eyes becoming wilder. Her breathing became labored as she stared into that threatening face with defiance.

"Let her go!"

Gasping, Nami quickly looked to the side. Dabara was standing in the door way of the room, slumped against the door frame. "Dabara, don't!" she cried.

Turning his darkened glare towards Dabara, he released Nami and went straight for him. "_No, don't_!!" she cried in a panic as her eyes widened in horror.

He was quick in his movement, as he grabbed Dabara by his throat and lifting him up quickly, slammed him against the outside door frame. "_Stop it_!!" she screamed as she ran after him.

"Gah-!" cried Dabara as he dangled from D's strong grip.

At quick glance, she could see the blood from his wound staining his clean shirt. "Please! Don't!! Put him down!!" she screamed frantically as she grabbed his arm. D quickly shoved her away with his elbow without turning. The force of his shove caused her to slam into the door frame behind her and fall to the floor inside the room.

"You dare tell me what to do, pussy?" he said in a very low and dangerous voice.

"Aa…I do…Don't…hurt her…" he said as best he could despite the lack of air. "_Gah_-!" he cried out again as D's grip on his neck tightened.

Grabbing her head, her eyes flew open as she quickly turned to D. "Stop it!!" she cried again as she got to her feet and made her way back to him. "Don't you need him?! Isn't he important?! Wouldn't you be stuck here forever without him?! You won't be able to travel to different worlds once you've defeated all the strong people here! You kill him…you won't be able to accomplish what you want!" she exclaimed in rushed, panicky words. Surprisingly, she could feel tears stinging her eyes. One, she did not want this man to die. Two, she did not want his murderer to be Luffy…even if he was an alternate one. "Please…" she whispered as the tears bunched at her lashes.

She could clearly see his deep breathing from his anger and loss of temper. "Please…" she whispered again as the tears began to spill over when he continued to choke Dabara.

After awhile, he slowly lifted his chin, his eyes still wild, and finally released Dabara. He fell to the ground in a pale heap. Gasping, she ran to him as he began to cough and gasp for air. However, as she knelt next to him, she was roughly pulled to her feet. Gasping a second time, she looked up into his face.

"Don't _ever_ tell me what to do again…and don't _ever_ talk to me that way again…" he said in a low, and chilling, slow voice.

Nodding in understanding, she took a deep slow breath. He released his grip on her, shoving her a bit as he did. She stepped back into the room as she lost her balance, but was able to regain it.

However, after he shoved her, he turned back to Dabara and then kicked him.

Gasping, she ran forward and then threw herself over Dabara. She was expecting to feel pain, but was surprised when none came. Opening her eyes, she glanced up at him with furrowed brows. His expression was dark, but he didn't move to strike her. Breathing deeply, she stared up at him, waiting. He finally turned away, making his way to the front of the ship. She watched his back as he walked away.

Then she finally returned her gaze back down to Dabara who was scowling at D's back with hooded, exhausted eyes. Leaning back, she frowned. "Don't ever be so foolish!" she seethed quietly.

Turning to her, his scowl turned into a frown. "The same could be said for you!" he retorted.

Making a small noise, she leaned her head back slightly as her eyes widened. "W-what…?" she questioned.

"You didn't have to do that for me! You didn't have to defend or protect me!" he said also in a loud whisper.

Frowning at him, she leaned forward again. "You saved my life! You expect me to sit back and let him do that?!" she asked in the loud whisper.

"Yes!" he replied. "Don't risk your safety for me…" he continued in a calmer voice as his expression turned soft.

Blinking a few times, she furrowed her brows as her lips parted, her frown turning sad. "Believe it or not…" she started as she recovered from her surprise, "I don't take people saving my life lightly…" she continued. "I don't appreciate what he called or did to you after what you did for me…" she continued.

"It doesn't matter…Please, don't try and protect me…" he said as he lowered his head.

Frowning even sadder, she also lowered her gaze. "You're…not as bad as I first thought…" she whispered.

"No…I am…." he whispered back. Then he glanced to the side. "I will buy my own cot…He can have his bed back…" he said as he tried to stand up.

"No! You need a-"

"Don't worry about me…I'll be just fine…Thank you…" he said as he turned away from her. "Thank you…" he repeated as he walked towards the railing.

She could only watch him attempt to crawl over the rails and disappear over the side. She had given him money for things he may have needed when they weren't together. She knew that's what he would be using. '_Then I will have to give him more_.' she thought to herself. After lowering her head for awhile, she then glanced back up to D's back, her expression turning into a deep scowl. He really was a heartless, uncaring, psychopathic bastard. Then her expression turned sad as she felt tears sting her eyes. '_He is __**not**__ Luffy_...' she thought as she bit her lower lip, trying to keep the tears from overwhelming her.

xxxx

"Well…we've been hearin' loud noises in the surrounding wilderness…Some of us decided to go check it out…but we've been to afraid to…We have no idea what the noise is...It went on earlier today too…However, it stopped a little earlier than usual…"

"Have you seen any of the Mugiwara crew?"

"Mu-…Mugiwara? What have they got to do with the noises?"

Sighing, Jin closed his eyes and looked to the side. "Just answer the question, sir…" he said as he looked back towards the man lazily.

"Uh…it was rumored they came into town a few times…Some of them even caused some trouble…Caught a bounty." explained the shop owner.

"What's the trouble of catching a bounty…? Wait…they caught a bounty?" he asked a bit confused.

"Well, that part was only a rumor…Someone who was part of the pirate bounty's crew, whom they caught, said he could have sworn the man that about killed them was Monkey D. Luffy…However, some other little man with red hair turned in the bounty…" explained the man in a hushed tone as if Monkey D. Luffy might hear him. Then he looked around cautiously. "There was also an orange haired woman with him…" he continued.

"An orange haired woman?" he asked as he straightened up a bit.

"Aa…she was with the long haired fellow…You know…I thought Monkey D. Luffy wore a straw hat…" said the man as he shrugged.

"You said they caused trouble…" he reminded the man.

"Oh right, right! He about tore them pirates apart…Almost killed a few of them. Made a real mess he did…Blood everywhere…" he explained as he shook his head. "I honestly wouldn't be surprised if some of 'em die…" he continued, still shaking his head.

Furrowing his brows, there was one thing he knew about Monkey D. Luffy, and it was that he didn't kill anyone. Didn't even really come close, he only fought someone until they were unconscious. At least, that's what he had been told. However, he had never heard otherwise until now. Then he remembered the man saying, 'long haired'.

"Wait…you said he had long hair…and no hat?" asked Jin.

"That's right…or so I heard…" he explained.

'_Must be that third and dangerous one_…' he thought to himself. So then, there was a second orange haired woman. "Thank you, sir…" said Jin as he turned and walked away.

"Uh, no problem!" called the shop keeper as he shook his head and re-entered his store.

xxxx

Everyone sat around the table, and ate in relative silence. There was only a bit of talking, but it was done quietly. Robin, N and L conversed a bit. Even some what depressed, Luffy still stole his crew mate's food. After all, he was still hungry. However, now he had a bigger selection to pick from.

"Oi!" exclaimed Z as Luffy stole his last shrimp.

"Luffy, keep your hands on your side of the table!" yelled Sanji as he put more food onto the table.

Luffy, naturally, wasted no time in taking most of it. He had to eat as much as he could, so that he would have the energy for the next day. It was the last day they would be on the island. Therefore, the last day they would get to train before they reached the next island.

The next morning, Luffy woke up full of energy. Jumping out of bed, he didn't even have to say a thing as L and his crew were also waking up. Since Luffy and L liked to get a really early start, S would handle the breakfast meals of the day.

Luffy stuffed his face with as much as he could possibly guzzle down and then quickly stood and began to stretch. N walked into the room and S immediately had a cup of coffee waiting for her. As soon as she sat, he set it down in front of her.

"Guys, please promise me you won't knock yourselves unconscious this time?" she said softly with a frown as she glanced from one to the other.

"We'll try to be more careful this time." replied L with a bit of a nervous smile.

Nodding, she knew that was as good as the promise would get. "Alright…" she said.

As soon as L was done, Luffy burst out of the dining room and was already over the rails. The others usually followed along later after everyone had eaten. Smiling at Luffy's back, L sighed in relief that he seemed to be in higher spirits. He too felt a lot better after talking to N the day before. They made their way to their usually training spot and then got into position. It had gotten to the point to where, either no longer felt the pain and exhaustion, or at least, it had become such a constant, that they were just used to it.

They began the normal routine of seeing who could land the first blow of the day. The majority of the times, it had actually been Luffy. However, L had his good days and was able to land the blows first. This day was one of those days.

Crying out as a fist slammed into his face, Luffy flew back a few feet, flipping, and landing onto his feet with a growl. Smiling, L leaned forward, getting back into position. Pouting, Luffy also got back into position. They continued to spar for some time, until they both came to a stand still.

Panting already, L smiled back at Luffy. "I think you're getting slower…" he said as his smile turned into a grin.

"No I'm not!" yelled Luffy in irritation as he pouted back.

"I've landed the last seven blows! You've only landed five! You are definitely getting slower!" replied L.

Growling, Luffy huffed as he brought up his fist again. However, before he could move, L's expression changed to complete surprise. Suddenly, cold steel could be felt at his throat. "Gah!" he exclaimed as his body stiffened and straightened. He shifted his eyes to the side, but didn't move.

"Ah!"

Luffy quickly shifted his eyes to L, who now also had a blade at his throat. Blinking a few times in confusion, he hadn't even heard the enemy approach.

"I've been looking for you…Monkey D. Luffy…Although, it looks like my patience has rewarded me. Now I've got two of you…Care to explain that?"

"Who are you?!" exclaimed Luffy as he glanced to the side again.

"I'm the man who will be bringing down two Monkey D. Luffy's. My superiors will be pleased."

"You won't be bringing anyone down."

Jin made an exclamation as a cold blade was then brought to his throat. Another blade was also placed at Abel's throat, who had his blade against L's.

"Wait! Z…lower your weapon…" exclaimed L who he knew had his blade on the man's throat, who had his blade on him.

"Captain?" questioned Z as he raised a brow.

"It's alright…" he said as he glanced over to Zoro as well. "Lower your weapons." he said as he raised both of his arms, palms out. "We don't want any trouble Marine…" he continued as he shifted his eyes to Jin.

"You don't want any trouble?" asked Jin as he smirked and rose up a brow at him. Even though both Zoro's had lowered their weapons, neither had lowered theirs.

"We're not here to cause anyone trouble…" said L.

Both Sanji's stepped out from the jungle cautiously as did both Usopp's, Franky and Coby. Each were at the ready if there were to be any fighting. Jin shifted his eyes to the rest of the crew and then back to L.

"Lower your weapons captain…and we can talk about this…" explained L as he kept his calm and regarded Jin with an intense stare. Both Sanji's turned to the jungle behind them.

"You might also want to call the rest of them out…I don't feel comfortable being watched…" said Sanji as he took a drag of his cigarette before exhaling the smoke. Jin shifted his eyes back to the blonde man who had spoken. Raising an arm, he then lowered it swiftly. Suddenly, marine men came down from trees, or different parts of the jungle.

"We don't want to hurt any of you…However…we can't allow you to take us anywhere…We have something important to do…We have to get her back…" said L as his expression turned more intense.

"Get who back?" asked Jin.

"My navigator…" replied Luffy.

"Where is she…?" asked Abel.

"And what do you mean back…?" asked Jin.

"He took her…" replied Luffy in a really low voice.

"Who did?" asked Jin.

Both L and Luffy's eyes met as they furrowed their brows. "The other man…like us…" replied L finally as he shifted his eyes back to Jin.

"The third Monkey D. Luffy…The dangerous one…" said Jin as he furrowed his brows.

The crew and their captains looked surprised. "You knew about him…?" asked L.

"Aa…people from the last island told me all about him…As did the people of this island…" he said.

"He is indeed dangerous…He's…even stronger than us…" said L as he frowned further.

"You're kidding me…" said Jin as he scoffed. L shook his head no.

"That's why we are training…too get stronger…" said Luffy as he turned his head slightly.

"I did wonder about that…" said Jin as he looked from one to the other. "So this other you…I take it he isn't friendly at all…" he said more than asked.

"That's right…" said L.

"He's insane and he has my navigator…" said Luffy.

"Insane? I would say you are all pretty insane…" retorted Jin. Then he tilted his head with a bit of a smirk. "Okay, and secondly, how the _hell_ are there three of you…and two of your crew mates?" he asked.

"That's a long story…Are you and your men hungry?" asked L.

"Hungry? Are you serious?" asked Jin who gave L a look of disbelief with a bit of a smirk.

"Aa, I am…S!" he called as he turned his head to S.

Stepping forward, S brought up his hand in a salute. "Yes, captain!" exclaimed S.

"Make Captain…" he started as he looked pointedly to Jin.

"Jin…" he supplied for him.

"Make Captain Jin and his men something to eat…Of course, if that's okay with Luffy?" he asked as he looked at Luffy.

"Shishi, it's fine!" exclaimed Luffy with a grin.

Smiling, L nodded to S. "Yes, sir!" exclaimed S as he quickly lowered his arm in his salute.

"We won't harm you or your men, Captain Jin." said L.

Blinking a few times, Jin furrowed his brows as he looked from S to L. "Just now…" he started.

"Aa…that's right…He's a marine…my marine…We will explain at the ship…If you will permit it?" said L.

Lowering his sword slowly, Abel also followed suit, but both remained cautious. L turned to S and nodded. Bowing, S and also Sanji went back to the ship to prepare a large meal.

Turning to the man whom had a blade to his neck, Luffy grinned. "Come with us to my ship!" he exclaimed as he turned and started for his ship.

The rest of the crew and L also followed. L stopped and turned to Jin when he didn't immediately follow. "Coming?" he asked.

Nodding, Jin turned to Abel and exchanged a glance before following. About twelve marines followed behind them in alert.

When they made it back to the ship, Chopper started to freak out. "Ahh! Marines!!" he screeched as he began to run in a circle.

Laughing, Luffy climbed over the rail. "It's okay Chopper! They are gonna join us for a meal!" he said as everyone else climbed aboard.

"I did wonder why S and Sanji returned so soon." said N as she stood and bowed to the marines that came aboard. "Welcome." she said with a smile.

"I take it…you are also a marine…" said Jin as he gave N one of his best smiles, taking her hand and bowing over it. N's eyes slightly widened at him.

"That's right…she is…" said L as he stepped up next to her with a stern expression.

Glancing up, one side of Jin's lips quirked up. "I see…" he replied as he released her hand. "So, we have marines…and pirates…" he said as he glanced from one Luffy to the other.

"Please, this way and we will explain the situation." said L as he motioned to the dining room.

There was one major thing that Jin noticed, and it was how incredibly different the two Luffy's were. One was calm, more serious, and from what he can tell, more mature. The other seemed to have a good nature, grinned a lot, and didn't seem as bright. What surprised him the most, is that neither seemed like a bad man. Neither had a dangerous glow around them, not only that, but neither did any of their men.

Both of the curly haired, long nosed men looked nervous, but he was guessing they were scardy cats. The two swordsmen were wary, but were not threatening. The raven haired beauty had a kind smile on her face as she conversed with Abel. The blue haired man was actually giving some of his men a tour of the ship, and then the pink haired man was having a boisterous conversation with some of his other men.

Then he noticed a little animal hiding in a corner. He could have sworn that he had spoken human words the moment they had stepped onto the ship. "Is your pet afraid of people?" asked Jin.

Suddenly, the little animal grew five times his size and came out from his hiding place. "I am not a pet!! I am a pirate!!" he exclaimed.

The cheerful Luffy began to laugh. "Aa, a pirate!!" he exclaimed. "He's one of my nakama!!" he continued as he turned to Jin.

"Nakama?!" asked Jin.

"Aa, he's our doctor!" replied Luffy.

"D-Doctor?!" he asked in disbelief.

"Aa, that's right! And one of the best! Shishishi!" exclaimed Luffy as he laughed.

Then the large creature shrank back to his small size. "You know that doesn't make me happy Luffy, you asshole!!" exclaimed Chopper with a large grin as he danced back and forth with his hand behind his hat.

Blinking a few times, he was a bit confused by the little animal. However, at the pirate captain's laughter, he figured it was a normal thing.

"Food is ready! Come and get it!"

Everyone turned to the blonde man in the door way. "The food is ready, please, right this way." said L as he motioned Jin towards the blonde man.

Nodding, Jin and his men started for the dining room. Luffy weaved in and out as he ran into the dining room and grabbed a seat. As everyone sat down, the marines were wary of the food. However, when Luffy began to eat just about everything in front of them, they realized the food was safe to eat.

"So, if you don't mind, tell me how you came to be…" said Jin as he began to eat.

Nodding, L began to explain where they came from, and how they got where they were.

"So…he's…evil…?" asked Jin with a raised brow after L finished explaining.

"That's right…He has to be stopped before he hurts more people. He won't hesitate to kill anyone." explained L.

"Well, he hasn't killed anyone so far…" said Jin a little confused.

"That's because of Nami…" said Luffy as he placed more food into his mouth.

"Because of who?" asked Jin.

"My navigator…She probably isn't letting him kill anyone…" he said.

"I thought he was evil and dangerous…Why would he listen to your navigator…?" asked Jin in complete confusion.

Luffy paused for a moment in his eating. "You don't know my navigator…He may be evil…but he is still me…" said Luffy with a visible shiver. L chuckled softly as he glanced over at the second orange haired woman, who was openly glaring at the pirate captain.

Jin blinked a few times at all of them. "You had said he was insane?" he asked.

Face turning serious, Luffy looked up at Jin. "Aa…My navigator told me he was insane, that something was wrong with him…" said Luffy.

"Wrong with him…? Well isn't his being evil…the something that's wrong with him?" said Jin.

"Aa…I said something similar…but she told me…there was definitely something wrong with him…She told me…he looked like he were in pain…" explained Luffy. Then he frowned deeply. "Either way…he's going to pay for what he's done…" he said. Then he straightened up and lost some of his mad frown. "That's why…we can't let you take us…Also, I have to be pirate king…You can try…but we can't let you…" explained Luffy as he stared at Jin seriously.

Jin stared at Luffy in return just as seriously. "In all of the reports I've gotten…" he finally started after a long silence. "Not once did they tell me that anyone other than the long haired Monkey D. Luffy, had hurt anyone…" he said. Then he tilted his head. "As a matter of fact, we have yet to get a complaint from any of the citizens who had given a report after you had left the scene." he said.

Blinking a few times, Luffy finally grinned at Jin. Then he began to eat again. "After we eat, perhaps you would like to observe our match?" asked L.

Turning to L, Jin's curiosity piqued. "Actually, yes I would…" he replied. L nodded as he smiled kindly.

xxxx

Sitting beside the cot, Nami frowned. It had taken a long time for Dabara to return to the ship. After awhile, she had begun to pace and worry about him. When more time had past, she had finally started for the rail to go and look for him. However, just as she looked over, he had been approaching the ship slowly with his cot.

"_There you are?! I was worried about you! I was just about to come into town and look for you!" exclaimed Nami as she climbed down to help him._

"_I'm fine…Don't worry about me…" replied Dabara, still surprised at her worrying for him._

"_You are __**not**__ fine! You've been shot! You could have past out some where!" she exclaimed in worried irritation at his uncaring attitude towards himself._

_Shrugging, he continued to carry the cot. Walking up to him, she grabbed the other end to help him. "You don't have to help me." he said._

"_Quiet! That's enough of that! If I want to help, then help I will!" she said. He kept quiet the remainder of the time they got the cot aboard._

As soon as they had set it up, he had immediately fallen asleep. There was something almost sad about Dabara that Nami just couldn't quite put her finger on. She was less afraid, not afraid actually, to ask him. Reaching up, she bathed his face with an ice cold cloth to help clean the sweat that formed on his brow. His breathing was heavy in his sleep as his fever raged violently.

He had been alseep for a few hours now. She had nothing else better to do, and most definitely didn't want to spend her time with D, so she stayed with him or had drawn maps. They had to wait for him to get a little better before turning in the bounty. At the thought of D, she did wonder what he was doing. Getting up, she quietly made her way to the door and looked out silently. When she didn't immediately see him, she frowned and stepped out. Looking up towards the roof, she didn't see anything.

Walking towards the kitchen, she glanced into the window, but saw nothing. Becoming a little alarmed, she walked towards the bathroom. Putting an ear to the door, she didn't hear anything. Opening it, she found it was completely empty. '_Where did he_…?' she started to think before turning towards town.

Frowning, she decided to go back to Dabara. She wasn't his keeper after all. However, there was a nagging sensation at the back of her mind and a bit of anxiety. She wanted to know where he was. Even though she felt this way, she couldn't leave Dabara alone. Sitting back down, she continued to swipe away his sweat. He seemed so fragile to her as she watched him struggle in his sleep.

Frowning, she tilted her head. Suddenly, he groaned and his eyes fluttered open. He blinked a few times to clear his vision as he stared at the ceiling, and then he finally moved his head to look at her. Smiling down at him, she dipped the cloth back into the icy water.

"Your fever hasn't gone down much yet." she said.

Surprised to see her still next to him, he furrowed his brows a bit. "You're still here…" he stated instead of asked.

"Of course I'm still here! I already told you that you need to be looked after!" she replied as she threw the towel in his face.

Blinking a few times, he reached up and lifted the towel a bit to look at her. She was pouting at him with crossed arms. Removing the towel completely, he felt himself smile and breath a bit of a laugh.

Smiling in return, she took the towel from him. "That's better!" she said as she dipped it and placed it onto his forehead.

As she had been watching him, she had grown curious about him. "Why…the change?" she asked.

Looking at her a bit confused, he tilted his head a bit. "Change…?" he asked.

"Why were you the way you were…and then the change after I was nice to you…?" she asked.

Inhaling a bit sharply, she watched as he furrowed his brows into a bit of a frown. Then he turned his gaze to the ceiling above. After he kept silent for a long while, she figured he wouldn't reply and then sighed.

"I thought I told you…" he finally replied.

"Un…you said because no one had ever been kind to you before…but…that's a half-ass answer…" she said.

Making a small noise, he blinked a few times before feeling himself relax. Then he turned to look at her again. Staring at her for awhile, he contemplated whether or not he wanted to tell her.

"Well?" she asked.

Sighing, he looked away from her, staring at the ceiling again. "Our world…isn't very kind to those born with an ability…" he started to say. Then his frown turned sad. "I had…a sister…" he said so softly, she almost didn't hear him.

"A sister…?" she asked quietly.

"Aa…she was my twin…" he said and then he sighed. "Our mother left us when she found out we had an ability…Our father…he barely even fed us…" he said quietly.

Gasping quietly, she frowned down at him. However, she remained silent, and let him continue. "My sister got sick…but our father didn't care…He wouldn't waste money on us…He never lifted a finger to help her…She died…I was only twelve…" he said as a single tear fell from his eye and glided down his temple. Then his face turned into a scowl. "I left after she died…and made a decision that I would always have money, no matter what…I joined a pirate crew…and never went hungry…If I ever got sick…I had the money to make myself better…If the world didn't care about me, then I didn't care about them…Been that way for six years…" he continued.

A hand was over Nami's mouth as she stared at him wide eyed. How could a father and mother do that to their children? "I'm so sorry…" she said softly.

Quickly looking over at her, he seemed very surprised by her response, and he seemed very confused by her reaction. "How can…someone…? Is your world…? I mean…" She didn't have the heart to finish any of those questions. Then she realized he had given away his age. He was eighteen, the same age as her.

"You were the first person…to ever offer to spend your money on me…and you don't even know me…Also…I'm not the…best of people…" he said.

"I can understand why…" she said with a deep frown.

"You don't dislike people with abilities…" he stated more than asked.

"Of course not! Just because they have an ability…doesn't mean they are any different from anyone else…" she said.

He frowned deeper. "You wouldn't feel that way if you were from my world…" he said. He had figured she wasn't the same as the marine woman with the orange hair, seeing as she knew about this world.

Inhaling slowly, her face relaxed. "No…I would…Because she does…She…is with him…She…loves him…" she said in a far away soft voice.

Even though N was from his world, she still loved L. Even though they were unkind to people with abilities, she did not feel that way. Then she thought about Luffy. Even though he had an ability, she had never thought differently about him. She liked him just the way he was. Her brows furrowed slowly as she thought of this.

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"The woman…like me…The one from your world…She loves him…" she said.

He seemed to understand what she meant and looked completely surprised by it. "I…had no idea…Then…she …and Captain Monkey D. Luffy…They…?" he tried to ask.

"Yes…" she whispered as she looked down and felt herself smile.

"The other one…he told me…that there was a second Luffy…He is your captain, right?" he asked, curious.

"That's right…" she replied as she looked up at him.

"Then…are you…?" he started to ask.

"No…" she replied interrupting him.

"Why not?" he asked.

"We just…I mean I…" she started and then was silent for awhile as she looked down. "I don't know…" she finally replied.

"It must be hard…" he said.

Looking up at him quickly, she gave him a look of confusion. "What do you mean…?" she asked.

"Because of _him_..." he said. She knew to whom he referred.

Frowning a bit, she sighed. "It is a little…" she replied softly and quietly.

"You care about him…" he stated.

She tilted her head a bit as she looked at him with furrowed brows. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"I mean…you care about him…because he is him…I can see it…" he said.

Giving it some thought, she continued to stare at him with the same expression. "Yeah…I guess…I do…" she finally replied.

"Do you love him?" he asked.

"Luffy? Or this Luffy?" she asked as she slowly smiled at him.

Smiling in return, he shrugged. "I think you already know the answer to that." he said.

Leaning back a bit, she kept her smile. "Maybe…" she said as she averted her eyes and her smile turned more playful.

Dabara let out a breathy laugh that never escaped his lips. Then his expression turned serious. "Ever wonder what made him that way?" he asked.

Losing her smile, she looked back at him. "Every day since we've been with him…" she replied quietly.

"By the way…my real name isn't Dabara…"

Her eyes widened as she stared at him. "What…?"

xxxx

Jin watched the two as they fought, and couldn't help but to be amazed. Their speed was incredible, their strength, unbelievable. He was pretty sure that if they had fought, he would have been over powered easily. This was the moment he realized, who these people were, and who they weren't. This was the moment he believed the second Luffy had been telling the truth. He was in fact a marine. However, the pirate one surprised him greatly.

What he had been expecting…was a pirate. This man did not act like any pirate he had come across, and neither did his crew. Abel leaned over towards his captain. "They aren't anything like I imagined…" he whispered.

Leaning towards his lieutenant, he smirked a bit on one side. "That's 'cause you're stupid…" he replied.

Snorting, his lieutenant smiled. "Don't give me that know-it-all bullshit…" he said. Then he lost his smile. "They are very strong…They would have taken us down easily…" he continued.

Also losing his smile, he sighed quietly. "Aa…they would have…" he agreed.

"But they didn't…" he added.

"Aa…I was thinking about that too…" he replied.

"What are we going to do…?" asked Abel as he turned to look at his captain.

Sighing again, he finally turned towards his lieutenant. "I have no idea…" he replied.

**To Be Continued…**

**Author's Note: **Ha! I bet you weren't expecting Dabara to be so cute! XD And that's not his real name! XO Dun dun dun!! Shishishi! I also bet you weren't expecting him to have a past! XP I'm wondering if some of you are confused right now…hehe…D's a real ass, isn't he…? A real hot ass…but an ass none the less…I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please say so in a review! 8D Oh yeah, and blame the song Teardrops from Massive Attack for the cliffhangar-ish ending and the confusion! XP


	9. Chapter 9: Fear? Guilt?

Crossed

**Author's Note: **Here is chapter 9. Sorry it took so long…I had it done for a long while, but wanted an opinion on certain parts and had to wait for Al to get back from her con…Anywho, thanks Al! XD Hehe, I was expecting to take forever in these because I had no idea what to do. I just kinda make it all up as I type! XP So, if it doesn't seem very good, well I'm sorry…Anywho, enjoy the chapter! XP Please review too…I like those…

**Crossed**

**Chapter 9: Fear…? Guilt? The Man Has A Name**

"Not…your real name? You changed your name…?" asked Nami a little more than surprised.

"Aa…I wanted to start over…Have a new beginning. So I changed it…" he explained.

"So then, what's your real name…?" she asked.

"Nathaniel…but my sister used to call me Nate…" he said.

"Nate…" she repeated quietly and then she stuck out her hand. "It's nice to meet you Nate!" she said with a big smile.

Blinking a few times, he finally smiled slowly and took her hand. "It's nice to meet you too…Nami…" he said.

"I definitely like that name better." she said with a grin.

Laughing, he released her hand. "Aa…me too…" he said. Then he frowned a bit. "By the way, where did he go…?" he asked.

Also frowning, she turned towards the closed door. "I have no idea…but he's been gone a really long time…" she replied quietly.

Suddenly, there was a loud noise outside. "Speak of the devil…" said Nate as he glanced towards the door.

Standing up, Nami made her way outside with a frown. Just as she stepped out, three suitcases were thrown at her feet. Gasping loudly and crying out a bit, she jumped back, startled. "W-What…?" she questioned as she looked down. "What are these…?" she asked as she looked up at him in confusion.

"Suitcases…" he replied with a look of sarcasm on his face.

Frowning, she puffed out her chest and lifted her nose. "I can see that…What's in them?" she asked not at all amused.

"Money…From the bounties…" he replied as made his way to the bathroom.

That's when she noticed the blood. Her eyes widened as she followed him with them. "What…What did you do?" she whispered, afraid of the answer as she gulped air.

Stopping, he turned towards her with a smirk. "I caught the rest of them…Then I had some pussy turn them in for me…" he replied.

"Did…did you…kill…any of them?" she asked as sweat beaded down her face.

Losing his smirk, he frowned. Then he walked up to her and came really close to her face. "And what if I did…?" he asked in a low challenging voice.

"Please tell me you didn't kill anyone…" she whispered.

Scoffing in her face, he turned and walked away, not even bothering to answer her. "Answer me!" she yelled as she felt her panic rise.

Stopping again, he turned a darker than dark expression towards her. One she had never seen on him before. Taking a step back, she gasped loudly as a hand flew to her throat.

"One…"

That was all he said as he turned and made his way into the bathroom. Feeling herself shake a bit, she hugged her arms and began to rub them as she stared where he had disappeared to. That look had been so full of hate and malice. She hoped to never see it again. Then his one word finally reached her ears. 'One…' she thought as she sunk to the ground and tears came to her eyes. 'He killed one…' she continued to think in shock.

As soon as he closed the door to the bathroom, he removed his blood stained clothes and walked over to the shower. Turning it on, he stepped under it and let the water run down his body as he placed both palms onto the wall and leaned forward onto them. Then he began to shake violently. Clenching his fists against the wall, he shut his eyes tightly as his breathing became ragged and loud.

When he couldn't control the shaking, he sunk to his knees and grabbed his head as he placed it on the floor. He then began to growl as he clenched his teeth harder. The shaking refused to cease. He began to take deep breaths to force the shaking to stop. Maybe if he willed it, it would do just that. However, it just wouldn't stop. He let go of his head and hugged his arms as he kept his forehead to the ground.

He hated it…This feeling…He wanted it to stop. He wanted it all to stop. He wanted to forget, forget everything. He brought up his arm, and slammed his fist onto the floor. At feeling the pain, he could feel the shaking begin to cease. Taking deep, slow breaths, he finally began to calm down. Opening his eyes slowly, he stared at the water as it flowed towards the drain. Finally standing, he finished his shower and washing off all of the blood.

At hearing everything that went on, Nate stood and made his way to the door. Opening it, he used the frame to lean on and then looked down to see Nami sitting on the ground, hugging herself.

"What happened?" he asked.

She slightly turned to him, but didn't show him her eyes. "Nothing…" she said quietly as she sniffed.

Not missing the sniff, he frowned and then made his way to her slowly. Then he looked down at the suitcase. "Did he…get the rest of the bounties himself?" he asked.

Turning to look back down, she only nodded. "Nami…what's wrong?" he asked as he attempted to kneel down next to her without reopening his wound. Then he noticed her shaking. "Nami?! What happened?! Did he hurt you?!" he asked, getting worried.

"N-No…He didn't hurt me…" she said as she reached up and wiped her eyes.

"Then…what's wrong?" he asked frowning.

"He…He…"

She was having a hard time saying it. "Nami?" he asked again to encourage her to keep going.

"He…killed a man…" she whispered.

Eyes widening, he sunk further onto his shins. Then he slumped forward as he frowned at her. "I'm sorry…" he said quietly.

Shaking her head slowly, she hadn't moved from where she was. "He is _not_ Luffy…Luffy…Luffy would never kill anyone…I don't understand! Why…Why is he like this?" she said as she began to cry again.

Frowning sadly, he reached out a hand and placed it on her shoulder comfortingly. "I don't know…" he said, not knowing what else to say.

xxxx

"Puru puru puru puru!"

Eyes widening, Jin removed his eyes from the two fighting, and then dug around in his coat for his den-den mushi. After finally finding it, he answered it. "Hello?" he replied to the person on the other line. Abel turned towards his captain.

Listening for awhile, his expression became slightly surprised as he furrowed his brows. "What…did you say?" he asked the person on the other line.

"What is it?" asked Abel.

"Alright…" Jin finally replied as he hung it up slowly. He didn't look all that pleased.

"Captain?" asked Abel again.

Looking up at the two, both had stopped and were now looking at him warily. "It appears…he has killed someone…" he finally said.

Both made loud, throaty responses as their eyes widened. "Wha-What?!" asked L.

Luffy's expression turned into a deep scowl as sweat beaded down his face. "Who…who did he kill?" he asked.

"It was a bounty…A man we had been searching for, for a long while…I'm not saddened by it…He wasn't the best of people…" he said.

"He was still a man…" said L as he frowned at Jin.

"He was _not_ a man…He was a monster…" said Jin quietly as he stared at L challengingly.

Nodding, L seemed to relent, but still had a frown. "Either way…He needs to be stopped…" he said.

"Agreed…" replied Jin. Then he turned to Luffy. "I thought your navigator would prevent him from killing anyone." he said.

Luffy furrowed his brows deep, but didn't answer. Shrugging, Jin turned back towards the harbor. "Think your pose as set by now? We can follow you…" he said as he turned his body to look at Luffy.

"I can ask N…Our ship is fast…" replied Luffy as he walked past him.

"Well, we can tie a rope connecting to your ship and you can drag us behind you…" said Jin as he watched him pass. Luffy only nodded as he continued forward. "What's his deal?" asked Jin when Luffy was out of ear shot to L.

"His navigator is the same orange haired woman with me." explained L.

Jin's brows rose up at remembering his reaction to having greeted the orange haired woman earlier that day. "Oh…" he said. Then he recalled another orange haired woman. "Ah! That's right! There was a report of another orange haired woman! She…wasn't with him when he killed the man…They would have said something if she had been." he continued to explain.

"That could be why she never stopped him…" said L as they both headed back to the harbor, Abel and the crew behind them.

Luffy climbed back aboard Sunny and looked right at N. "Luffy?! I thought you and L were still training? What happened?" asked N at seeing him.

"Something came up…Has the pose set yet?" he asked.

Frowning, she looked down at the pose. "No…not yet, but I suppose it will set soon…" she said and then looked up at him. "Luffy, what's happened? Where is L?" she asked getting a little worried.

"I'm here."

Looking past Luffy, L and Jin as well as the rest of the crew climbed aboard. "L, what's happened? Why did you stop early?" she asked.

Sighing, and looking a little saddened, L approached N. "He's finally killed someone…" he replied.

Her eyes grew large as she gasped loudly. "Wha-What...?" she whispered as sweat beaded down her face. "Who…? Why..?" she managed to get out as her throat closed on her.

"Just some bounty scum, no one to be worried about…" said Jin.

Glancing behind L, she frowned as tears formed in her eyes. "Just some scum?! Luffy has a bounty! But he is not scum! He…" she started as she felt her throat close more. "He…killed someone…" she whispered.

"Nami…" whispered L as he frowned sadly at her.

Looking up at him, she shook her head. "He killed someone…I…" She seemed to be in shock. L walked up to her and wrapped an arm around her.

"Trust me…I know all about the bounty…He was a sick monster…It's nothing to be sad about…" said Jin, not quite understanding her reaction.

N seemed to be regaining her composure as she took a few deep breaths. "It's not the…bounty…I mean…it is…It's just…" She tried to say.

Narrowing his eyes and seeing her watery eyes, Jin had a feeling he did understand. "Oh…I see…It's the fact that he took a life, right?" he asked.

She could only nod as she hugged herself. "He is a bad person Nami…" said L quietly to N as he squeezed her a bit.

"He's still you…" she whispered as she looked up at him. He only frowned down at her.

"We leave as soon as the pose sets…We need to get Nami away from that…demon…" said Luffy as he walked to the front of the ship. "There's no way I can leave her with him…If he…" he started to say, but clenched his teeth. He wondered what she must be feeling right now. Was she mad? Was she sad? Was she scared? Had he hurt her again?

"From what I gather, she wasn't with him at the time he killed the man…" said Jin.

Turning to him, Luffy regarded him with furrowed brows. "Are you sure?" he asked.

"Aa, my men would have said so if she had been. That could be why he wasn't stopped…." he explained.

"Do they know if she is okay?" asked Luffy as he stepped forward.

"Sorry, I haven't gotten any reports about her…" replied Jin with a frown. Luffy visible drooped at his reply.

"The pose…It just set…" said N as she looked down at the pose.

"Good, then let's get going!!" exclaimed Luffy.

Nodding, N turned to the crew. "You know what to do!" she said.

"Aa!" they replied as they got to work.

xxxx

"I'm not going…"

Frowning, Nami stared at D with displeasure. It was the next day, and Nate was showing better progress. He had slept in the cot near the bed the night before. Unfortunately, she hadn't gotten away with having to sleep with D. She had been a little uneasy and embarrassed about it since Nate had been in the room. She almost had an argument on her hands when D decided he didn't like that he was _in_ the room at all.

However, he decided to let the issue go, not really caring anymore. Now she was trying to convince him to go into town with her. However, he was in another weird mood. She didn't trust him alone with Nate in the least.

"We need more supplies…and I could use the help carrying some things…" she said weakly, knowing full well he wouldn't lift a finger to help her.

Narrowing his eyes, he crossed his arms. "I'm not going…" he said.

Then an idea popped into her head. "You also need new clothes, right? You got one of the few shirts you have bloody again…" she said.

"You can handle that…" he replied getting annoyed. Then he turned and began to walk away.

"I guess I could!" she said cheerfully and then she turned to Nate. "Sure you will be alright alone?" she asked.

"Aa…I will be fine…" he replied a little confused by her sudden change in attitude.

"Good. I will get you some more clothes too since one of your shirts has a hole in it…How about something colorful?! I love colors! I think I might get you both something really colorful!" she said in an overly cheerful voice. Then her eyes shifted to D's back. Nate's eyes widened when he realized what she was doing. Then he smirked.

At hearing her words, D stopped in his tracks. Smirking to herself, she turned to Nate, who also had a smirk at D's back. Then he turned to Nami. "Something colorful sounds wonderful, Nami…The brightest things you can find!" he added.

Grinding his teeth, D turned around and glared at Nami. She was smiling back at him in return. "Don't you like colors?"

Nami looked through all the shop windows with a happy smile on her face. D was walking right behind her with a frown on his and his hands in his pockets. She had an inkling that he had a dislike for colors, considering he only wore black and white clothing. She knew mentioning colored clothes would raise his distrust in her selection of clothing.

Stopping at a window, D stared at the contents inside for awhile before walking in. Turning towards him with a curious expression, she walked to the shop he had walked into. Looking inside, she watched him stop in front of a glass piece. It had bright orange and red colors all through it. Blinking slowly, she tilted her head as she watched him curiously. Then she looked up at his face. His expression looked…almost shocked. His eyes were wide and sweat beaded down his face.

"Excuse me…"

Eyes widening in slight surprise, Nami gasped and jumped a bit. Then she turned and then looked down. "Y-Yes…?" she asked. Next to her was a small girl of about nine or ten.

"I was wondering…Can you…tell him thank you for me?" she asked.

Blinking a few times, she stared down at the girl in confusion. "Eh?" she questioned.

Turning towards the shop, the child looked nervous. "You're with him, right?" she asked.

She blinked and jolted up a bit as realization hit her. "Oh, him!" she said as she turned towards D. "Yes…I am…" she replied to the girl.

"He's…really scary…So…I didn't want to tell him thank you myself…Can you tell him for me…?" she asked as she looked back up at Nami.

"Tell him thank you? For what?" asked Nami as she looked back to the child.

"He…saved me from that man…I think…he killed him…Good…That means he can't ever hurt me or touch me again…" she said with a slightly angry expression.

Nami exhaled and inhaled loudly as her eyes widened as far as they could go as she suddenly realized what this child was telling her. "Oh my…" she breathed.

"Will you tell him for me?" asked the child again.

She could only nod as she quickly looked back at D who now had the small glass in his hand and was staring at it.

"Thanks!" cried the child as she turned and ran off.

'_He_..._saved her_..._She was_...' Slowly stepping forward, she opened the door and went inside. Slowly approaching him, she stepped up right next to him. He didn't even seem to notice her. "He was a child molester…" she stated.

At her words, D squeezed the glass he had in his hand, causing it to shatter as he inhaled sharply, and his eyes turned wide and pained. She gasped loudly at his having shattered the glass and jumped up in complete surprise.

"Oi! You're going to have to pay for that you know!!"

"I-I'm sorry! Of course, we'll pay for it!" said Nami as she turned to the lady and then back to D.

Glancing down to his hand, she noticed blood dripping to the ground. Paying it little mind, she looked back up at him. His expression hadn't changed. "You killed him…because of what he was…Because of what he was doing to the girl…" she said.

Eyes twitching, he turned to her with a deep frown. "I don't want to talk about it…" he said as he released the glass he had in his hand. Then he pushed past her.

Crying out a bit at his having shoved her to the side, she gasped and turned. "Wait!" she called, but he didn't stop. Frowning, she watched him walk outside and then disappear past the window. Sighing, she closed her eyes and then looked down at the broken, bloody glass. Then she turned to the lady to pay for the damage.

After buying the needed clothes and supplies, making sure D's clothes were only black or white, she made her way back to the ship. She really hoped Nate was okay. After having a great deal of trouble getting aboard, she dropped everything and went to check on him. As soon as she opened the door, he greeted her with a smile. Sighing in relief, she made her way inside.

"Are you feeling alright?" she asked.

"Aa…I'm fine…How did the shopping trip go?" he asked with a bit of a chuckle.

Frowning, she sat down next to him. "Not so good…" she replied.

He lost his smile and tilted his head. "Why not? What happened? He didn't hurt you again did he?" he asked.

Nami breathed a bit of a laugh as she smiled at him and his concern. She really did appreciate his concern. "No…He didn't hurt me." she replied, but then she lost her smile. "A child approached me and asked me to tell him…thanks for her…" she said.

"Who?! This crazy, psycho Luffy?!" he asked in disbelief.

"Un…" she replied.

"Why?" he asked in confusion.

"She told me had saved her…from that bounty he had killed…" she said.

"Wha-What?!" he asked in shock. "He actually saved someone?" he continued a little calmer, but in just as much disbelief.

"Yeah…" she replied in a whisper.

"What…so, the bounty had this child…? Was it a boy or a girl?" he asked.

"Girl…" she replied.

"Wait, was he…molesting her?" he asked with a deep frown.

"I think so…" she replied.

"He actually killed a man for molesting a child? Wait…I thought he was a bad person…" he said as he looked confused.

"I…thought so too…I…asked him, but…he told me he didn't want to talk about it…When I had stated about the man…he seemed really…I don't know…" she said, not knowing how to explain his reaction.

"I don't understand…" he said in complete confusion.

"Neither do I…If he isn't a good person…then, why did he save that child?" she asked more to herself.

Blinking and glancing down, Nate gave this question some thought. "Maybe it had nothing to do with the child…but the man himself?" he said.

"What do you mean…?" asked Nami as she furrowed her brows in confusion.

"Well…maybe he has a thing for child molesters…Maybe he was molested himself…" he suggested.

Nami gave a bit of a laugh as her lips quirked in a disbelieving smile and looked at him nervously. "I highly doubt that…I doubt he is the type to allow himself to be molested…I mean he is still Luffy…" she said and then shook that thought from her mind.

"It was just a suggestion." he said as he shrugged.

"No…I think there is something we are missing…I think he has some good in him…I mean…he is still Luffy…" she said with a smile in satisfaction and a nod. "Maybe I can get it to come out of him." she said.

Snorting, Nate turned away from her. "Yeah…good luck with that…" he said.

Pouting, she grabbed the covers and covered his face with it. "I will try my best!" she said in her defense.

Laughing from under the covers, he pushed them out of his face. "Alright…I believe in you…" he said.

'Hmphing' and smiling with confidence, she nodded, feeling satisfied with her decision.

xxxx

"We should get there soon. However, they could be gone by the time we get there…" said Jin as he frowned.

Nodding, Luffy turned back in front of him. He couldn't wait to get to this new island. He just hoped that Nami was still there.

xxxx

Sighing to herself, Nami hoped that she checked everything right, they would be departing soon. Frowning sadly, she turned to the small window in the kitchen that faced town. She hadn't seen Luffy. She wondered if they would be docking soon. Sighing a second time, she turned back to check the supplies.

"Oi, do we have everything?"

Smiling, Nami turned towards the door. "I think so…Are you sure there isn't anything else you need?" she asked.

"Aa…I'm fine. Thanks." replied Nate as he smiled in return. He had gotten a lot better over the past few days and was now able to move around freely.

Turning back to the supplies, she sighed a third time. "I'm pretty sure this is everything…I should probably check the bathroom supplies again." she said.

"Don't fret it…I will check…" he said as he walked out.

Smiling at the now closed door, she checked the fridge a second time. So far her plan to bring forth D's good side was a complete flop. As a matter of fact, she hardly ever saw him. He would usually sit on the roof in a spot where she couldn't get to him, or was somewhere in town. She had been with him for a little over three weeks now…and she still knew nothing about him. All she knew was that he had serious anger issues and a hate for child molesters.

xxxx

As soon as they docked, everyone hurriedly made their way to the dock. "Alright…Everyone have on their disguises?" asked N as she turned and looked at everyone.

"Yup!" exclaimed Luffy, who didn't even have one, although, he did wear a grin.

"Alright…You lead…" she said as she turned to Jin.

Nodding, Jin turned to lead them.

Zoro leaned towards Z with narrowed eyes. "You don't think this guy can really be trusted do you?" he asked quietly.

Leaning towards Zoro, Z wore a frown. "I honestly don't know…L is really good at keeping his word and would never betray someone he promised to put his trust into. However, I don't know this marine." he replied just as quietly.

"Aa…Luffy is the same way…" he said as he leaned back over.

As they walked, Luffy's face broke into a deep frown.

xxxx

As soon as all the supplies were checked and rechecked over and over again, Nami was satisfied that they had gotten everything they needed. The next journey would be a little longer. It would take them a week and a half to reach the next destination. She was a little worried, for she knew that the Sunny was a fast ship. If they didn't meet now, would they catch up to them on the sea? She hoped not…She also wondered if they would find out about D's having killed that bounty.

Would Luffy want to come for her again if he found out? Frowning, she made her way out onto the deck. Glancing around, she spotted Nate making his way to her. "Everything's been checked. We're good to go." he said.

"Where is he?" she asked.

"I don't know…He hasn't come back yet." he replied with a frown.

Frowning herself, she turned towards town and then gasped. Furrowing his brows, Nate also turned towards the town, and then his eyes widened. "You don't think…?" he started to ask.

However, Nami had already broken into a run and hopped over the rail. She continued to run as fast as she could.

As they continued to approach, Luffy clenched his fists tightly.

L approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "All in good time…" he said.

Turning back, he kept his frown.

Continuing to run, she didn't stop. '_Please, please don_'_t let it be him_...' Weaving in and out of people, she felt the panic in her gut rise.

Stopping where he was, Luffy frowned deeper.

"She's alright…" said N as she frowned in worry.

"Are you sure? I mean…look at him…" said Usopp nervously.

"I don't know about this either…" said Zoro warily.

Beginning to pant as she ran, she finally reached the destination. She stared at him in complete disbelief. He was there. "No…" she whispered. "What are you doing?!" she screamed.

Sweat beaded down his face as he became nervous. He wasn't sure why he was nervous, he had wanted to see her. To make sure she was okay, but now that he was here…

She stared at him in disbelief. He was just standing there with sweat beading down his face. His eyes were wide and from what she thought was fear. "Why…why are you here?!" she yelled.

He had wanted to come and see if she was okay, but…what if she wasn't? What if something happened to her?

xxxx

Nami stared at him in disbelief when he didn't seem to hear her. He only continued to stare up at the burning build with those same wide eyes that looked pained.

Still panting from her run, she furrowed her brows at him. "What…have you done…? Did you do this?!" she yelled taking a few more steps.

However, he still didn't seem to hear her at all. Furrowing her brows deeper, she turned to the burning building, and then turned back to him. "O-Oi…Can you hear me?!" she yelled over the roaring flames.

Looking closer, she noticed he was breathing quickly and hard. As she continued to watch him, she could have sworn he was terrified of the fire. He seemed completely frozen in place.

"Hurry up! Let's get some water on this building!!"

Turning to the yells, there were some men bringing water to the building. "Oi, move out of the way! We need to put out this fire!" yelled one of the men to him. However, he still wouldn't move.

"He's way to close to those flames! Someone get him out of ther-_Oi_, _look out_!!" yelled another man.

Gasping, Nami quickly turned back to him. Looking up, she noticed a huge chunk of the building was falling down right where he was. Eyes widening, she felt herself panic. "_Look out_!!" she screamed as she sprinted forward.

She furrowed her brows deeper when he still didn't move. Picking up the pace, she ran as fast as she could. Leaping forward, she tackled him out of the way just as the debris hit the ground.

"_Gah_!!"

"_Kya_!!"

Both hit the ground hard. They came to a rolling stop some distance away. She could already feel the scrapes on her skin. Leaning up, she looked down into his face. He looked bewildered and unhappy.

He was still breathing deeply and had sweat pouring down his face. "What is the matter with you?!" she yelled.

Blinking a few times, she watched as a scowl formed on his face. "What the hell are you doing?!" he bellowed as he shoved her off.

"Aah!" she exclaimed as she was shoved. Then she scowled at his back. "Is that any way to treat to someone who just saved you?!" she bellowed in return. Then she realized what he just asked as her face turned surprised. Then her scowl returned. "What the hell am _I_ doing?! What the hell were _you_ doing?!" she retorted.

"That's none of your business!!" he yelled angrily as he stood up and began to walk away. However, he glanced back over to the fire nervously.

Getting up, she followed a long behind him. '_What the hell is his deal_…?' she thought to herself in confusion.

xxxx

As they finally made it to the man, he didn't have a very pleased look on his face.

"What news do you have? Have you found them?" asked Jin.

"Yes sir…We did…" replied the man.

"And?!" asked Jin not liking the man's expression.

"I'm sorry sir, but they left just yesterday…There was no way we could keep them here…" he said.

Luffy made a loud noise at his words. "Left…?" he asked.

"Aa…I'm sorry…" replied the man as he placed a hand on his head.

"Why didn't you call me?!" yelled Jin in irritation.

"I…we…" started the man nervously.

"Ah, forget it!" yelled Jin in annoyance. "Can you at least tell us her condition?" he asked.

"She…she looked fine, sir…There was no problems at all…" he replied.

xxxx

Just as they made it to the ship, Nami stopped and glanced back towards the harbor. He had never come…Sighing with a sad frown, she slowly closed her eyes and turned her head back towards the ship.

"Nami…"

Eyes twitching, she didn't want to open her eyes just yet. '_One more time_..._Just one more time_...' she thought to herself.

"Nami…"

Sighing deeply and slowly, she finally slowly opened her eyes to see _his_ face…He looked very displeased at being held up. "Sorry I…I'm coming…" she replied. He had sounded so much like him…The only difference, was he called her so coldly. There was no cheerfulness in his voice…No, 'I'm so glad to see you!' no happy laughter, no grin. She felt tears come to her eyes. Blinking them away, she took the step forward and boarded the ship.

xxxx

"I'm really sorry about this…" said Jin with a frown.

"It's okay…At least we know she's okay…" replied Luffy.

"Aa…" replied L.

"I'm just really surprised he was able to take out a bounty of two hundred and thirty million beli with just one strike…" said Z.

"Aa…ripped out the guy's throat…That's…really scary…" said Usopp as he shuddered.

"Aa…he ripped out the jugular vein…That must have been a painful death…" added Chopper.

"Aa…I can't imagine how that must have felt…" said Coby.

"I just can't believe someone who is Luffy could…do that…" said Chopper.

"I wonder if he even uses his abilities…" said U.

"We definitely know he uses his bare hands like Luffy…" said Usopp.

"Aa…so does L…" added Coby.

"From what I know, that guy was incredibly strong…He gave a vice-admiral a great deal of trouble…To hear he was taken out so easily…" said Jin, not able to finish his sentence.

"It means we have a long way to go…" said Luffy quietly.

Even if they had made it on time…there would have been no way they would have won against him. A monster like that…and then he has incredible strength. They had a great deal more training to do.

L turned a frown to Luffy. N only hugged herself as she wore a sad frown. She couldn't believe someone who was Luffy could just kill someone like that. It had been with one hand, with no remorse, even if the man had been a horrible person. The man had been a child molester. Did that mean there was some good in this Luffy? Had they been mistaken? However, that was hardly convincing considering what he's done to them so far.

She couldn't help but to be extremely confused by this Luffy. He didn't seem to make any sense what-so-ever. She did know he was still cold and cruel. Neither Luffy nor L would have killed a man if they had come across a man such as the one he had killed. They might have beaten him more than any of their other enemies, but they would have never killed him.

"If it's alright with you guys…I would like to help with your training…" said Jin.

"Aa…I would also like to offer my help." said Abel.

"Thanks…We could probably use it…" replied L with a huge frown.

Luffy kept quiet. L was right, they _could_ probably use it…They were going to need all the help they could get…

**To Be Continued…**

**Author's Note: **Okay, so some of this was planned. The fire was planned since way back when. So, what did you think of this chapter? Did ya like it? TELL ME! XO Please submit a review and tell me! XD

**P.S. **Sorry for all the x's…I used to use dashes, but FFnet has now made that a no-no. I had to go back and fix Denial…and Midnight Lullaby…I even fixed some of my one shots…I haven't fixed any of my other ones yet…So if you haven't read them yet, sorry for when you do…

**P.S.S. **By the way…I got the beli amount wrong, and Al didn't bother to tell me even though she noticed it…--; It wasn't two hundred and thirty thousand. It was supposed to be two hundred and thirty million…


	10. Chapter 10: Pained Hearts

Crossed

**Author's Note: **I know, I know! XO I'm sorry I took so long…but I had a major writer's block, a _complete_ writer's block. I couldn't write _anything_! After I finished First Bad Kisses, my mind blanked completely! Anyways, here it finally is! Chapter 10! XD I really hope you all enjoy this chapter! However, it only seems to raise more questions. TT Anyways, please review and enjoy! XD

**Crossed**

**Chapter 10: Pained Hearts**

Nami sat on the floor of the cabin and hummed to herself happily. In front of her were the suitcases full of the beli from the bounties. Nate was sitting in the window seat and reading a book that Nami had bought for him. He no longer stayed in the crow's nest and usually stayed where ever Nami was. As soon as she finished counting the third suitcase she frowned. "Wait a minute…" she said quietly.

Looking up from his book, Nate regarded her with raised brows. "What is it?" he asked.

"There's…more money here than there should be…" she replied.

Blinking a few times, his brows furrowed in confusion. "Huh?" he questioned.

"The bounties I gave him didn't add up to this…" she explained.

Furrowing his brows deeper, he set his book down and got up to walk over to her. "How much more is there?" he asked.

"A hundred and sixty million more…" she replied.

"That's a lot…" he said.

"Yes it is…Where did this extra money come from…?" she asked more to herself. Frowning, she stood up and walked out, Nate watching her leave with a frown. Walking out, she turned to the roof. "Why is there extra money?" she asked, knowing he was up there without having to see him.

"What does it matter…?"

"It matters! Where did it come from?!" she yelled.

"I found an extra bounty…"

"What…? An extra…?" she said quietly as she furrowed her brows in puzzlement.

Suddenly, she heard a click of his teeth as he peered over the side as he spoke. "Aww, and here I thought you would be happy about the extra money I gave to you…" he said with a smirk.

Making a noise from the back of her throat, she backed away from the cabin a bit. She watched as he scoffed at her and disappeared back over the side.

"Was he the one you killed…?" she asked.

However, there was no response. Frowning, she sighed and went back into the room. "Well?" asked Nate from the window seat as he again set his book down.

"He said he found an extra bounty…" she replied as she plopped back down onto the floor. "This is a lot of money…" she said as she looked at it all.

Looking towards it, he nodded. "Yeah it is…More than I have ever seen…" he said before lifting up his book again.

"Yeah…me too…This is even more than Luffy's bounty…" she said.

Lowering his book again, he peered over the top of it. "Luffy?" he asked.

"Un…_my _captain…His bounty is three hundred million." she said as she stared at all the money.

"That's a huge bounty…" he said.

"Un…it is…" she replied.

She should be extremely happy about all of this money, but she just wasn't as happy as she thought she would be. Sighing, she began to put it all away and slid the suitcases under the bed, having no where else to keep them. Then she stepped out to begin to cook. Walking into the kitchen, she grabbed the items and food needed to prepare a meal. She was really beginning to miss Sanji and beginning to really appreciate his cooking for them. Frowning, she paused in her preparation at recalling her crew.

Tears began to form in her eyes as she stared down at the food she was preparing. Everything began to blur and wobble in her vision. She missed them all so much. Sniffing, she wiped the tears from her eyes and continued to prepare their meal.

After she was done cooking and setting a lot of it on the table, she went outside. "Dinner's ready!" she called as she went back inside.

Grabbing her plate, she made her way back out just as both were making their way in. She still refused to dine with that monster. Walking into the cabin room, she set her plate down and began to eat. At the click of the door, she turned to see Nate walk in with his plate. "Mind if I dine with you again?" he asked.

Smiling, she shook her head. "No, not at all." she replied as she turned back to her food.

However, she lost her smile and felt a tug at her heart. He had to eat alone. Frowning, she felt an overwhelming sadness fill her entire being. She stopped eating and just stared down at her food.

"You okay?" asked Nate.

"Uh…yeah…" she replied.

Thinking to herself, she vaguely wondered if he even felt loneliness at all. At this thought, she had to force it from her mind as she blinked away tears. She refused to feel sorry for him. He was a horrible person and didn't deserve her sympathy. Even though he had saved a child, she still wasn't sure about him. He hadn't shown any kind of a good side for as long as she had been with him. She had still yet to ask him about that. It wasn't something she was sure he wanted to talk about. After she was done, she made her way back to what she knew would be a clean kitchen.

Walking inside, she stopped where she was. He was sitting at the table just staring out of the small window. At her entering, he slowly glanced over to her and gave a small smirk. He had, of course already cleaned up everything. Deciding it best to ignore him, she made her way to the sink and began to wash her dish. However, he was immediately behind her and reached out a hand to grab hers. Gasping, she quickly stepped to the side and turned to him.

"Wha-What are you doing?!" she said in a bit of alarm.

"I'll do it…" he said as he stared down at the plate.

Blinking a few times, she stared at him wide eyed. As she came out of her shock, she noticed the sweat beading down his face. Was he offering to help? Was he really good some where in there? "I-I can do it myself…" she said.

"I said I will do it!!" he yelled without looking at her.

Gasping, she stepped away from the sink quickly, releasing the plate. Standing where she was with wide eyes, she watched as he washed the plate. '_What the hell is his problem_...?' she thought to herself. Then she finally quickly made her way out.

Nate was just making his way to the kitchen. "Just set it on the counter…He will take care of the rest…" she said as she went into the room.

Blinking in confusion at the closed door, he finally turned towards the kitchen with a confused frown.

xxxx

"We can't leave immediately after the pose sets…We can't risk catching up to them…" said Jin.

Furrowing his brows and narrowing his eyes, Luffy looked pained. He knew Jin was right, but he wanted nothing more than to see for himself that his navigator was okay. "You're right…We will have to wait a few days to let them get a start. We can find a new pose later. It's okay if we are on the same island, as long as we don't try to approach them…" said L.

"Aa…That should be fine. If it's like you said…He didn't try anything even when he saw you, as long as you don't try anything with him." said Abel.

"Aa…" replied L.

"It will give us time to train…We will find a place in there…" said Luffy, finally coming out of silence as he turned towards the mountain wilderness of the island.

"Aa, shall we then?" asked Jin as he walked to the rail.

"Aa…" said Luffy as he walked past and jumped over the side.

Sighing and closing his eyes, L came up behind Jin. "He's really bothered by this…She his girlfriend or something?" asked Jin.

"Uh…no…They don't actually have a relationship…but…we…N and I…believe that maybe they do have feelings for each other…" explained L.

"I see…So no matter what world you're from, you're destined to be with the same person…?" he asked.

"Seems like it…" replied L with a warm smile.

"That's boring…" said Jin with narrowed eyes.

Quickly turning to Jin, L looked at him in disbelief. "E-h?!" he exclaimed.

Laughing, Jin pat him on the back hard. "I'm only joking!" he exclaimed. L kept his frown, not sure he should believe him. "So, hey…am I a marine in your world? Do you know me? Ah, but I guess not seeing as you had to ask my name…" he said as he looked away from L.

Placing a hand on his chin, L blinked at Jin a few times. "You know…I did get a feeling I may have seen you some where before…Maybe you _are_ a marine there too…" he said.

"Really? That's boring…" said Jin with the same bored, narrowed eyes.

Blinking at him, L seemed to be in disbelief again. "E-h…?" he questioned.

"O-i!! Are you coming or what?! We're wasting time!!" yelled Luffy from some distance away from the ship already.

Laughing at the two, Abel jumped over the rail as he started towards Luffy. Blinking at Luffy and then turning back to Jin, L looked confused by what Jin said. "Haha! I'm only messing with ya. Come on, let's go kick each other's asses." he said as he again slapped L on the back and then made his way off the ship.

"Oi, we're coming too."

Blinking and slightly surprised, L turned towards their crews. "Eh? Z…are you sure?" asked L.

"Uh…I'm Zoro…" replied Zoro as he scratched his head.

"Ah! Sorry!" said L as he blinked and looked at everyone else. They had been there so long, that their clothes constantly changed and now they all just looked alike to him.

"I have the harimaki…" said Zoro with a raised brow as he pointed to his waist.

"Ah…Sorry about that…" said L with a nervous grin and laugh. He had been too distracted to notice.

"L!!"

"Ah!" Coming!!" replied L as he turned and scampered over the rail, the crew following.

Running ahead, Luffy looked around for a good spot to start the training. They were high up, closer to the mountain, which had taken them an hour to get to. They wanted to make sure they were as far away from town as possible, without going to far. Glancing up, Luffy could see the mountain. They were a lot closer to it. As he continued through the dense jungle, he finally came to a clearing.

"This looks like a good spot!" he called over his shoulder as he stepped into the clearing.

"Aa, and it's not too close to town." said Abel as he looked around.

"So, how do you usually do this?" asked Jin.

"It's usually four against one, but since you are here, it will be five against one." explained S.

"Aa, at least it is when they don't just go at it alone." said Zoro.

"Five against one? Can they really take on that many…?" asked Abel, nervously.

"Aa, they can manage very well with the four of us against each one." replied Sanji as he took a drag.

"Alright, if you say so…Well…" started Jin as he removed his captain's coat and shirt so he weren't as constricted. "…shall we?"

Chuckling, Abel did the same, removing his shirt. "This should be interesting. Which five against which Luffy?" he asked.

"Hmm…usually it's Z, Sanji, and Coby on Luffy, and then Zoro, S, and Franky against me. The Usopp's attack whomever." explained L.

"Alright, I'll help take on Luffy…Abel, you get L." said Jin.

Nodding, Abel turned to L and bowed. "It will be my pleasure." he said politely.

"Thank you. With this we will be able to become stronger." replied L with a smile.

"As long as we can stop the other you from causing more damage in our world…we'll do what we can…" said Jin as he stood in front of them both with his arms crossed.

"Yosh! Let's get started!" said Luffy as he got into position.

"Aa…" replied Jin as he pulled out two short blades and also got into position.

"Hoo…a swordsman?" asked Zoro.

"Aa…I can use both swords and my fists…" said Jin.

Nodding, Zoro pulled out all three of his and got ready, as did everyone else.

xxxx

Coming out on deck, Nami checked the course they were taking. Suddenly, a large bird landed on the railing. Turning, she smiled and walked up to the bird, taking the offered paper and paying it the amount she new it cost. As soon as she did, the bird flew away. Opening the paper, the first thing she noticed was an article from the last island they were just at. Reading through the article quickly, she then quickly turned and made her way to the kitchen. Walking in without stopping, she slapped the paper down on the table with the article visible.

As soon as his eyes lay on the paper, he immediately jumped out of the chair, quickly stepping back and away.

"This was him…The man you killed…" she said.

Sweat beaded down his face as he stared down at the picture. "Get that out of my sight…" he said in a chilling tone.

"This is where the extra money came from…You only get a percentage when a bounty is killed…He was worth…two hundred and thirty million…" she said. Then she frowned deeper. "Who is this man? Do you know him? Judging from your reaction, I would guess yes…Did you know him from your world?" she asked in a barrage of questions. She still couldn't believe he had killed a man worth so much. That was only seventy million less than Luffy.

Expression turning into a scowl, he grabbed the paper from the table, tearing it to shreds and then disposing of it harshly. She vaguely thought about the money she had just spent on that paper. "It's none of your damn business…" he said in a bit of a growl.

"Why did you help that child? Why did you kill that man?" she asked.

"What child…?" he asked.

Making a sound of complete surprise, her eyes widened as she stared at him in disbelief. "What do you mean, what child…? The child you saved from that man…" she said.

"There was no child…" he said in a low voice.

"There was a child! She told me to tell you thank you for saving her from him…" she explained, not understanding how he would say there wasn't one when there clearly was.

"There was no child!!" he repeated a little louder. "I don't know what the hell you're talking about!" he continued in anger.

"There…was a child…She was…there…" she said quietly and slowly.

Walking up to her, he got extremely close to her face with a scowl. "There was no child…" he repeated again before walking past her and out of the kitchen.

Turning to watch him leave, she had sweat beading down her face as she stared after him in complete confusion. Suddenly the idea that he may have some good in him was slowly fading. If he honestly believed there hadn't been a child, then it had never been his intention to save her. He hadn't actually saved anyone. Tears slowly came to her eyes, she had had some hope that there might have been some good in him, but it seemed she had been mistaken.

Wiping her eyes, she frowned a bit. '_Why_ _hadn't he seen the child_?_ Why had he killed that man_?_ Why had he reacted the way he had upon seeing his picture_?' The more she thought about it, the more it confused her. The more she found out about him, the more he confused her. Sighing, she went to see if it were possible to salvage her destroyed paper.

xxxx

It was now day two of their new training with Jin and Abel, and so far it was a complete…disaster. Jin was a bit more than could be handled with everyone on Luffy at once.

"I think he's dead…" said Usopp as he looked down at Luffy.

"He can't be dead!!" yelled Coby who had a hold of his head with both hands.

"He's not dead you idiots…" said Zoro as he also stared down at Luffy.

"Sorry…but he said not to go easy on him…" said Jin with a side ways frown.

"Aa…he did…Don't be sorry…" replied L who wasn't in much better a state. Plopping down on the ground with a groan, L grabbed a hold of his injured arm. "You two are a hell of a lot more than we bargained for…" he continued.

"We try." replied Abel with a smirk.

Chuckling, L looked over at him. "Indeed…I guess we can break until he wakes up again…" he said.

"Aa…sounds good, I'm beat…" said U as he let himself fall back to relax.

Everyone else also sat down to rest up as well until Luffy regained his consciousness. "It's better this way…With you two being far stronger and with the combined power of our crews, we will definitely become stronger this way." he explained as he turned to look at Luffy.

"That's good to hear." said Jin.

"Aa…thank you." said L as he smiled.

"How long do you think he will be out for…?" asked Coby.

"Who knows…He's probably pretty exhausted…but it's still pretty early. Hopefully he will wake up soon." said Franky.

"It'll be lunch time in a few hours, if he doesn't wake up by then, we could always continue after we eat." said S.

"Aa, I'm sure Luffy would be rejuvenated after eating." said Sanji with a smile as he looked towards his captain.

"For being exhausted, he sure hits pretty damn hard still…" said Z as he rubbed his jaw.

Everyone chuckled as their eyes shifted to Luffy once again. "Aa…He's strong and stubborn. He won't stop until he thinks he's strong enough to take on that other Luffy…" said Zoro.

"Well, neither will I…As much as it takes…for however long it takes…I know we will get strong enough to take him on…Even if we aren't strong enough individually, we will be strong together…" said L.

"It's still amazing just how strong that other Luffy is…Not even two of you are strong enough for him right now…I wonder what made him into such a monster…" said Usopp with a shiver.

"He's no monster…He's beyond that…He's some kind of demon…" remarked U.

"Aa…a demon…" repeated Usopp quietly with another shiver.

"What could have turned Luffy into a demon…?" asked Sanji as he blew out the smoke from his cigarette.

"Maybe he was born that way…It might be different in different worlds…" suggested Jin.

"It's hard to believe Luffy could be born that way…" said Zoro with a frown.

"Aa…it is…He's always so happy all the time…" said Sanji.

"And L couldn't possible hurt innocent people, or kill anyone…" said Coby.

"Aa…both are so good…and he is…such…a shitty bastard…" said S with a frown.

"Could he have really been born that way?" asked Usopp with a frown.

Everyone remained silent for a long while as they tried to let that possibility sink in. "What if he wasn't born that way…? What if something…really horrible happened to him to make him that way…?" asked Usopp extremely quietly. However, everyone was already so silent that his words carried to everyone.

"What horrible thing could have possibly turned him like that…?" asked Sanji also quietly.

"Maybe…he lost all of us…His crew I mean…like us…" suggested U.

Shuddering, L frowned. "I have to admit…that would make me sad…but…I think it would have to be more than just that…" he said.

Everyone turned to look at him. "More?" asked Z as he raised a brow.

"Aa…I wouldn't hurt or kill people or even people like that bounty…just because I lost all of you…There has to be…something else…" he explained.

Everyone remained quiet once again as they now let this sink in.

"What then…?" whispered U as he stared up at the sky.

"I don't think I want to think about that anymore…" replied L in a whisper.

Suddenly, they heard Luffy groan and reach up to grab his head. Sitting up slowly, he blinked and then turned to everyone. "What happened…?" he asked.

Everyone remained silent with frowns as they stared at Luffy. Blinking a few times with wide eyes, he tilted his head. "What…?" he asked as he raised a brow.

After everyone finally smiled, thinking Luffy had enough to worry about, they convinced him it had been nothing, and then continued the training.

xxxx

"D for…Dark…D for…Detestable…D for…Dreadful…D for…_Despicable_…D for…Depressing…D for Disastrous…D for…Devastating…D for Deplorable…D for _Demented_…D for Devious…D for Destructive…D for Dangerous…D for……Demon...D for Deadly…"

Sitting on the window seat, Nami stared out the window, sulking and depressed. So he wasn't the good person she thought he might be…He continued to show that. It had been quite awhile since the last time he had tried anything on her again. After he had gotten over his sulking mood, he had tried again that day. His depression and bad mood seemed to have only last a day, the day before had been when she had asked about the man in the paper. She had been in the middle of cooking their dinner when he had come into the kitchen with her.

_Standing at the stove, she stirred the stir fry she was making for them to eat for dinner. At hearing the door open, she glanced up to see __**him **__walk through the door. Glancing back down to the stir fry, she tried to ignore him completely. However, he seemed very much aware that she was in the room. Her breathing quickened and she became nervous when she realized he was slowly making his way to her while his eyes remained on her the entire time._

_Moving away from the stove to grab more spices, anything to keep away from him, she looked through some cabinets quickly and then went back to the stove. However, he only seemed to wait for her return before wrapping an arm around her waist from behind._

"_Don't…" she said as her entire body stiffened._

_Pressing his entire body against her, he then began to kiss the back of her neck, ignoring her completely. Clenching her teeth and eyes shut, she tried her best to keep completely still. "Please stop…" she said._

_Chuckling next to her ear, he continued to lick, suck and kiss her neck and ear. "Why?" he asked in a low, sultry voice._

_A shiver ran down her spine as she tried hard to suppress it. "Because I asked you to…" she replied._

"_But is that what you really want?" he asked in the same voice._

_Her entire body was warming to the heat he was emitting. "Yes, that's what I want! Please stop!" she said in what sounded like to her, a panicked voice._

_However, to her horror and dismay, he didn't stop. In fact, he began to slowly run his hands over her torso and stomach. Gasping, she shut her eyes tighter and ground her teeth. "I don't think you're being completely honest with me Nami…" he said in a mocking voice full of humor._

"_I don't give a damn about what you think!! I said stop!" she said in a raised voice._

_Abruptly, he shoved her forward as he stepped away from her. Crying out a bit, it took great effort to keep from touching the stove and not burning herself. She quickly turned to see him walking away and out of the door. Tears came to her eyes at his coldness. "Jerk…" she whispered as she closed her eyes and turned back to the stove._

Now she sat alone in the cabin, staring out the window, brooding about just how wrong she had been. She was beginning to think it was impossible for him to have any good in him at all, that it was impossible for him to show any kindness, that it was impossible for him to show anything positive. '_At least he hasn't had any more psychotic episodes…_' she thought to herself before sighing and closing her eyes.

Then suddenly, she realized that there had been a constant noise going on outside that she just hadn't noticed until then. Turning towards the door, she wondered where the noise was coming from. Then as she thought, she also wondered where Nate was. Getting up slowly, she made her way to the door sluggishly, not really wanted to chance him coming on to her again, but her curiosity getting the better of her. Turning the knob, she opened the door and inhaled sharply. On the deck, on his hands and knees, was D, scrubbing the deck clean.

Blinking a few times in astonishment, she stepped the full way out of the room as she continued to stare at him in confused astonishment. Then at seeing motion, she glanced to the side to see Nate smiling at her from a place on the deck where he was sitting.

"I've been watching him for awhile now. I just found it interesting how a monster like him gets off on cleaning…He even cleaned the bathroom. I watched the whole thing…" he said with a chuckle as he turned back to watch him.

Frowning, she turned back to D and watched for awhile before approaching him. "Um…do you…want help?" she asked.

"No…" he replied quickly without even looking up at her.

Blinking a few times down at him, she frowned again. Then she knelt down next to him. "You know it's not a problem if I help…You don't have to think anything like me helping is some kind of kindness or something or as if you asked for help. We all dirty this ship, we should all clean it." she said.

"I don't want your help…" he said as he continued to scrub before dipping the cloth he was using.

Raising a brow, she stared at him a bit longer at his stubbornness before sighing and standing up. Then she went to grab a cloth to help him anyway. However, he quickly grabbed her wrist. "I said I don't want your help!!" he yelled as he shoved her away.

Gasping loudly, she landed on her backside and stared at him in disbelief. Frowning deeper, she couldn't help but to wonder why he had to clean everything himself. Why did he clean at all…? He was the biggest mystery she had ever come across, even more so than Luffy. Standing up slowly, she watched him a little longer with a frown before turning and walking away. If he didn't want help, then fine. She wouldn't help him.

"You okay?" asked Nate with a frown.

"I'm fine…It didn't hurt…" she replied as she turned and glanced at _him_ one last time before going into the room.

Closing the door, she leaned against it as more tears came to her eyes. There was something so sad about him that she just couldn't place. It was more of a feeling. It made her want to go to him, hold him in her arms and tell him that everything will be okay. But why did she want to do that? He was horrible…He was rude…He was cruel…Sniffing a sigh, she wiped away her tears again and made her way to her desk. She decided she could sketch some maps.

Sitting at her desk, she could only stare down at it blindly, for it wasn't the map she saw. Sighing, she brought up her arms and leaned her forehead into her hands. What was it about him…? She really wanted to know…She wanted to know everything…However, he was so unapproachable…so unlike…Luffy…Although, information was never something you could get out of Luffy if he didn't want you to know. She was sure that this Luffy was no different, but would be far more difficult to get the information from.

Frowning sadly, she covered her face. In her version, a boyish grin could be seen, a grin so happy, so full of joy, just happy to be alive. Tears welled up in her eyes as she fought to keep that image in her vision. "Luffy…" she choked out. Instead of wiping them away, she let these tears flow freely. Having been with this Luffy for so long, she longed to see that grin again. Breathing in sharply, she choked out a quiet sob. She had used to find his stupid grin annoying. Now, that's all she wanted to see.

She no longer wanted to see that horrible smirk…that horrible scowl…that face filled with anger and hatred. She didn't want to see him anymore. She didn't want to be with him anymore. She missed her crew so much it hurt. Her heart ached something fierce to see their smiles again, to hear their laughter. Even though, they had annoyed her greatly before, she wanted nothing more than to be near that again. She never realized just how much she loved and appreciated it until it was no longer within her reach.

"Everyone…" she choked out again as she cried quietly to herself. "I miss you all so much…"

xxxx

"Gah…!"

Having been thrown and slammed against the mountain wall, Luffy slid to the ground slowly. He was in pain, and barely conscious. Grunting, he forced himself to his feet. Stumbling a bit, he got into position, just to be slammed back into the mountain wall and held against it.

"Guh…!"

Grabbing at the hands that held his neck, he tried to fight back, but was far too weak. He struggled weakly, trying to through a decent punch. However, the back end up a sword, met with his stomach. "Gah!" he cried out as he coughed up blood. Then he was thrown to the side.

"Ready to give up?"

Lifting himself up slowly on his elbows, he coughed up more blood. "Like…hell…" he said as he stood as quickly as possible, swaying a bit, and then threw a punch.

Because of this brutal training, his endurance had doubled. He was able to last a lot longer against the beatings. It had been asked no one hold back, regardless of their feelings. Both Z and Jin stood some distance away and side stepped his weak attempt at a punch.

"Che!" exclaimed Luffy as his arm snapped back.

Staring back at them tiredly, he refused to give up. Charging forward, he brought back his fist to throw another punch, with more vigor behind it. This time, he was able to catch Z in his punch.

"Guh…!" cried out Z as he flew back.

However, Jin came upon Luffy quickly, sending flying with the back of his blade. Crying out, Luffy flew, hitting a few trees before hitting the ground hard. Coming to a rolling stop, he stayed down this time. Stumbling to his feet, Sanji came up to them, having been downed by Luffy a few moments ago.

"Tough son of a bitch…" he mumbled as he wiped the blood from his mouth.

"Aa…" said Coby, who had been the first to go down, walking up behind them.

The crew's strength had also doubled from having to keep up with a monster like Luffy. At hearing a snap of a twig, all turned to see the rest of the crew making there way to them, L over Franky's shoulder, unconscious.

"Oi! Your Luffy down for the count too?" asked Franky.

"Aa! Just now!" called back Sanji.

"We can make our way back then. It's time to eat." said S with a smile as he glanced over at Luffy.

"Sounds good…I'm starving…" said Jin.

"Aa…" agreed Zoro as he walked past everyone to lift up his captain over his shoulder. "Let's head back to the ship." he said as he turned towards them all.

Nodding, everyone turned and started the long journey back to the ship, each captain in tow.

As soon as they made it back to the ship an hour later, Nami frowned at the two, unconscious, thrown over the shoulders of the crew. It tugged at her heart every time she saw them like that. Closing her eyes as she looked down, she sighed as she hugged herself a bit. Chopper motioned for them to bring them to the infirmary. S and Sanji made their way to the kitchen to start on dinner. Since both were able to last longer, both S and Sanji usually made lunch ahead of time for every one.

Glancing back towards the two, N just wanted this whole thing to be over. It was like a really bad nightmare that didn't want to end. It was bad enough having a dark Luffy on their hands, but then having to have two good ones fight against him. Frowning sadly as she kept her eyes closed, it saddened her thinking about just how much both really hated him. It made her so sad that they would hate someone that was them so much. It made her even more sad that they had a reason to. Hugging herself tighter, she sunk back down into her chair.

Tears came to her eyes as she kept them closed tightly. "Luffy…" she whispered quietly.

Also frowning sadly, Robin watched this poor woman suffer within herself. Closing her eyes, she turned away. She knew how she felt, because it made her sad too. She was also understanding, just how much her love was extended to. It didn't just stop at one Luffy. It spread across to them all. Then she vaguely began to wonder if Nami felt the same way. Did she care for that Luffy just as much as this one? Was she suffering with inner turmoil as well?

Eyes fluttering open, L blinked a few times as he stared at the ceiling above. Then he frowned sadly. He had dreamt of his Nami. However, it wasn't a good dream. Bringing his hands to his face, he covered it completely. He felt horrible inside. His thoughts were plagued of this other Luffy. It saddened him greatly that he was the way he was, and he hated thinking about what could have possibly driven him to such madness. Not only that, but he worried for this other Nami.

After all, she was still Nami. He loved his Nami greatly, and it pained him so much when he thought about this Nami. In all honesty, he couldn't help but to be glad they didn't have the relationship that he and his Nami shared. He knew the pain and turmoil would have been far greater for this Luffy and Nami. He could imagine the rage and fury Luffy would have felt for this other self of theirs. He would have felt the exact same. He _really_ didn't want to think about it, because it only pained him more.

"L…Are you okay?"

Removing his hands slowly, he turned his head to see Chopper frowning at him. "Aa…" he whispered. "I'm fine…Chopper…" he continued as he turned back to the ceiling. "I'm just fine…" he whispered.

Frowning, Chopper wasn't at all convinced. He knew everything was taking its toll on their minds. He could see it in N as each day past. She became more and more distant, and always seemed to have a constant sad frown on her face. He was now beginning to see that face on both L and Luffy. It had already been a week and a half since they had been on this island. He knew they would be setting off soon.

He knew the dreaded fight was coming closer and closer. Just another two and a half weeks, and it would be two months…It would take them a four days instead of seven to get to the next island. Sighing, he turned back to his desk. If L wanted to remain where he was for awhile, then he would let him.

Having heard the short conversation, Luffy rolled onto his side. He blinked at the wall as his expression turned sad. He really missed his navigator and constantly worried for her safety. The time of the fight was coming closer. He felt a rush every time he thought about it. He knew his opponent was powerful, and he couldn't wait to test out his new strength against him. In his mind some where, he wondered how it was that he had gotten so powerful in the same amount of time as he had lived.

Having some what gauged his other self's strength, he knew he still wouldn't match his strength come the two months, but he didn't care. He would get Nami back from him no matter what, and he would do it when the two months was up. He knew his crew would try their hardest too, if they were permitted to join the fight that was. He had a feeling his other self would want it that way. It would present a bigger challenge for him. Luffy was usually one to fight one on one, but this time, he knew it just wasn't possible. There was only one enemy instead of many, but he was just as powerful as that many, they constantly faced together.

Closing his eyes slowly, he tried to imagine her smile, anything to give him the strength he needed to keep from getting so down. However, now that image only seemed to pain him further instead of help him move forward. He knew he had to stay positive, but it was becoming harder and harder as each day past. He knew he was risking much by going against his other self early. He was risking the lives of his entire crew, and that of L's. He was also risking N and Nami's lives as well.

Grounding his teeth, he clenched them down tightly. If they failed…he most likely wouldn't hesitate to kill them all for having even tried. It was much to risk, but he knew he had to do it. She wasn't safe, and they all knew it. He knew they were all willing to take that risk with him, and he greatly appreciated it. He loved his nakama. They were his treasure after all, just as he knew L's crew was his. He was also grateful that they were also willing to risk their lives with him, for her.

He only hoped that it would be enough. He hoped that their strength would prevail. Clenching his fists as well as his teeth, he curled up into a ball as he brought up his arms. He wanted to win. He had to win, no matter what. It didn't matter that he was weaker, he would win.

"Nami…" he whispered as he shut his eyes tightly. "I'm coming Nami…Please…be alright…"

**To Be Continued…**

**Author's Note: **Yeah, I know…Nate was a bit of a meanie…but can ya blame him? The part where Nami thought about D eating along, I promise you…after reading about him eating alone, I got a huge tug on my heart string…An overwhelming sadness just drifted over me like a cold blanket! TT So, I had to put my feelings in here through Nami. XO It just tugged at my heart, damn it…Anyways, my inspiration for the last part of this chapter was the song DJ Tiesto's Walking On Clouds. Really great song, you guys should check it out. I love some techno too! XP However, mostly rock! XD Anyways, let me know what you guys thought of this chapter…by reviewing! XD


	11. Chapter 11: Engulfed By Pain and Grief

Author's Note: Hey guys

**Author's Note: **Hey guys! Here's chapter 11! Ah, NorseFTX colored in the splash he sketched for the story! He did an awesome job! XD Here's the link! http(:)(/)(/)s245./albums/gg49/Confession68/?actionview& currentcrossedsplashC.png ( Just remove the () and the space between & and current. ) Anyways, I was able to come out with this chapter a little sooner! You know…there was one thing about this whole story…a small thing really…but I was so sure someone would have noticed…but no one did…I will wait and see if someone does notice it. I'm actually expecting heather to notice it…I believe in you heather…You always catch small insignificant things…Ah and heather is Gohan, by the way. He has now been dubbed heather. Anyways! I hope you all enjoy this utterly depressing chapter! XD Please review and enjoy! XP

**P.S. **Ah, I have some really bad words in here…The ultimate…Please excuse me…T.T

**Crossed**

**Chapter 11: Engulfed By Pain and Grief**

Two and a half weeks, that's how much longer it was until two months was up. That was the time frame Luffy had given her for when he would come for her. Every time each day would pass, she could feel her anxiety growing. In just a few more days, they would port at the next island. So far, they haven't caught up with them. She wondered if they had decided to stay longer at the last island and hoped that they were okay. Sitting outside by the rail, she had decided to enjoy the outside.

Refusing to fear him any longer, she didn't want to stay cooped up indoors any more. Nate was sitting, leaning against the cabin some distance away from her. She guessed he figured it was safer for him to be near her, so that D wouldn't try anything with her. He was probably right. Glancing towards the roof of the cabin, she knew he was up there some where. Sighing, she shifted her eyes back to the sea ahead of her. The gulls were making their noise above the ship, the sea making it's noise below her as well.

Closing her eyes, she listened to it and imagined she was on the Sunny. A small smile played on her lips as she brought her hands to the wood deck. She could almost feel the grassy softness of Sunny's deck. Concentrating further, she could hear her crew's laughter. Smiling wider, she breathed in the salty air, and wasn't quite ready to open her eyes yet. Tears seeped through her closed lids as she continued to hear her crew around her. Leaning back on her hands behind her back, she tilted her face up to the breeze as she kept the smile on her face.

Blinking a few times as a sad frown came across his face, Nate sighed as he closed his eyes and looked away from her. He was noticing more and more of her depression. He figured she really missed her crew mates. Then he thought about the deal he had made with this Luffy. He had made a deal that if he took him to different worlds, then he would take care of the marine Luffy from his world, as well as the other one…Opening his eyes slowly, he turned back to the orange haired woman he called friend.

He knew for a fact, that he couldn't possibly let anything happen to her Luffy. It would only make her sad. Furrowing his brows a bit, he stood up and quietly jumped up and lifted himself up enough to check on D. Seeing that he was asleep, he let himself back down quietly and then made his way to Nami.

At hearing the footsteps, he eyes flew opened and she gasped, having been startled. "S-Sorry…" he whispered as he stopped next to her.

"I-It's okay…" she said as she smiled and laughed a bit. Then she looked up at his expression. "What is it?" she asked as she frowned a bit.

"I…I can take you to them…" he said quietly.

Eyes widening, she got onto her knees as she stared up at him. "What?" she asked, not quite believing what he just said.

"But…we have to hurry, before he wakes up…It's…risky…" he explained.

Standing up, she walked up to him. "Do you really mean it?! You could really take me to them?!" she asked as she began to smile.

"Shh! Yes…I can…but…we have to hurry…Time flows exactly the same…" he said.

"I…I understand…" she said as she lost her smile. She could feel anxiety at finally getting to see them. Then she frowned. "How come you never mentioned this before?!" she asked in a loud whisper.

"Because…it's risky…I'm not exactly on good terms with that other Luffy…and if _he_ finds out…" he said with a frown as he motioned his head towards D. "Also…you usually sleep with him…" he continued.

"Oh, right…I guess that's true…" she said, and then she glanced behind him to the roof. "I can make sure they don't hurt you too…and he should be out for about two hours…He just fell asleep not to long ago…" she said.

"Aa…I know…We still gotta hurry…Just in case…Just check and make sure they are okay…and let them know you're okay…and then we leave…" he explained.

"A-Alright…Thank you…" she said as she smiled at him.

Blushing with a bit of a frown, he lifted his arms and closed his eyes to concentrate. "Dimensional Cross Portal…" he said as a portal appeared before them. "This should take us straight to the ship…I think…At least, it feels like the same place…" he said with a lop-sided frown.

"I trust you…" she said with a smile as she walked through. Smiling, he followed her in.

Eyes twitching, D opened his eyes and blinked a bit. Then his face turned into a deep frown. There were a few scents missing. Sitting up, he crawled over and jumped off from the roof. Glancing around, he saw no one and the scents were faint. Narrowing his eyes, he made his way to the kitchen and threw the door open. At not seeing anyone, his face turned into a deep scowl. Turning, he made his way to the room and threw that door open, no one…Beginning to growl, he made his way to the bathroom. Almost breaking that door down, he growled loudly at seeing no one.

Making his way back to the deck, he sat down on the deck and rested an arm on his knee. He would wait for their return, knowing they wouldn't be stupid enough to stay away for long.

xxxx

After finally getting up, Luffy and L made their way back on deck. N turned to them with a frown on her face. "Are you both okay?" she asked in a quiet and soft voice.

"Aa…" Both answered.

Nodding, she glanced away from them. "Everything will work out…you know…" she said.

"Oi, dinner is ready…" called Sanji from the railing above as his cigarette hung from his mouth. Then he glanced up. "What the…?" he asked aloud.

Glancing in the direction Sanji was looking in, everyone else stood and became worried at the strange opening appearing just on Sunny's deck. L and Luffy both became alert, expecting the worst. However, both made a loud noise at what came out.

"Ah!" exclaimed Nami as she landed on her hands and knees on some grass. Gasping, she looked down at the grass, and then looked up. Most of the crew were staring at her. Then suddenly, another body fell on top of her. "Aah!" she cried out as she fell back to the deck.

"Nami!!" yelled Luffy as he ran to her.

"Ah, are you o-?!" asked Nate as he got up from her. However, he was cut short by Luffy lifting him up by his short. "Gah!" he exclaimed.

"Who are you?!" yelled Luffy.

"Dabara!!" cried L and N.

"Eh?!" exclaimed Luffy and the crew.

"Why you…" seethed Luffy as he went to punch him.

"Luffy don't!!" cried Nami as she stood up and quickly grabbed his arm.

"Nami! What are you…?" asked Luffy.

"Don't hurt him!" she cried again.

Blinking at her, he then lowered his arm, but turned a deep frown on Nate before releasing him. "Guh!" exclaimed Nate as he was suddenly released, landing hard on the deck.

"Luffy!" she exclaimed as she frowned at Luffy and then turned to help Nate to his feet. "Are you alright?" she asked.

"Aa…I'm fine…Don't worry about me…" he said.

"You always say that…You might as well give up…" she said.

"Nami…?"

Turning to Luffy, he had a confused, but happy to see her expression. L stepped forward with a huge frown at Nate. "He won't hurt anyone…He's not the bad person you may think him to be…"

"Nami…You don't…" started Nate.

Whirling on him, she held up a hand. "I do and I will…You were willing to sacrifice yourself for me, remember? I won't ever forget that." she said as she turned back to the others. "He's a good person…" she finished.

"Nami-san!!" exclaimed Sanji as he came waltzing down the stairs and towards her happily in his love-love mode.

"Nami…It's good to see you…" said Usopp with a smile.

"Sacrificed himself…?" asked L with a deep frown.

"That's right! He took a bullet for me and has even been protecting me from…um…" she stopped what she was about to say. She was about to call him D. She was sure they would have no idea what she was talking about.

"The other Luffy…?" asked Usopp.

"Uh…yeah…" she replied.

"Nami!!"

Turning just in time, Nami cried out in surprise as a small body launched himself at her. "Chopper!" she exclaimed in surprise before laughing.

"I was worried about you!!" cried Chopper as he sobbed into her stomach.

"I'm alright Chopper…" she said as she smiled down at him.

Everyone else also walked up to her. "You're really okay, Nami-san? Luffy told us about what happened? He hasn't hurt you?" asked Sanji.

"I'm fine." she replied as she smiled at him.

"What's been going on? We-We heard about the man he killed…" said N.

Nami looked towards her and frowned. "Oh…yeah…" she replied.

"Were you with him?" asked L.

"No…That was during the time Nate had gotten shot…So I was nursing him…" she replied.

"Nate? Who's Nate?" asked L.

Laughing slightly, Nami turned to Nate. "This is Nate." she said.

Blinking a few times, Nate turned his face away from their gazes. "What?" asked N.

"His real name, anyway." said Nami. Then she turned back to L with a frown. "He went off and took down the bounties alone…I wasn't there when it happened…but he…told me…when he…" she said as each word came out slower and she looked down.

"Why did he kill him?" asked N quietly.

"I-I'm not entirely sure…I had thought it was to save…that girl…" she explained.

"A girl?!" exclaimed N as she stepped forward.

"There was a child?!" asked L.

"Aa…but…he never saw the child…I don't know why he killed him…" she explained.

"Nami...we can't stay long…" said Nate with a frown.

Turning to him, her expression turned sad. "I know…" she replied quietly.

"Nami?" asked Luffy as he stepped forward with a frown.

"We left…while he was asleep…If we don't go back soon…he won't be very happy…" she said. Then she forced a smile. "I just…wanted to see you guys…and make sure you were all okay…" she said

"Of course we're okay, Nami-san! It's you we're all worried about!" exclaimed Sanji.

"Aa!" added Chopper and Usopp.

Setting Chopper down with a smile, she stood and smiled at everyone. "Well, as you can see I'm okay." she said.

"We had better go…" said Nate with a frown.

Turning back to him, she frowned again. "Okay…" she said.

"Wait, Nami!" said Luffy.

Turning to him, she kept her frown. "I really have to go…It's risky…" she said.

Drooping, he stared at her for awhile before nodding. "Okay…" he finally said.

"Only two months, right? Only two and a half weeks left…and we will see each other again…" she said with the best smile she could manage, even though she wanted to cry. They were all there, and now she had to leave them.

"Aa!" he replied with force.

"Two and a half weeks?!" exclaimed Nate.

Everyone turned to him. "That's right…Two and a half weeks…Luffy made a promise that he would come in two months. It's been a month and a week and a half since…" said Nami.

"But…didn't _he_ say four months?" asked Nate as he began to look worried.

"Yes, he did…" said Nami.

Then Nate turned to Luffy. "Are you…sure you can…in two and a half weeks?" he asked with a frown.

"Either way…It's when I'm coming…" replied Luffy with an expression of determination.

"He won't be happy about that…He's crazy…but I…hope you win…" said Nate.

"Why are you with him?" asked L as he continued to frown at him.

Nate's face turned nervous as he made a slight noise. Then his face relaxed with a small frown as he looked down. "I…made a deal with him…I didn't really have a choice really, but the deal sounded good…at the time…" he explained.

"What kind of deal?" asked L with a deeper frown. Everyone else but Nami was also frowning at him.

Sighing, Nate closed his eyes. "He asked for me to take him to different worlds after he's done with this one to continue fighting strong people…and in exchange…he would…get rid of the both of you…and give me a lot of money…" he said quietly.

"What?!" exclaimed L and his crew.

"But I don't want that anymore! It sounded good at the time…but now…" he said as he slightly glanced at Nami and then looked away. Then he sighed again as he closed his eyes. "We should really be getting back…" he continued.

Nodding, Nami looked at every face of her crew members with a smile. "We'll miss you Nami!" cried Chopper as he began to cry.

Her smile turned warmer as she looked at him, but tears formed in her eyes as she nodded at him, not being able to talk any longer. Nate turned and lifted his arms. "Dimensional Cross Portal." he said as one formed in front of them.

Nami took a step back as she slowly looked at each member. She wanted to stay with them more than anything. Luffy's expression turned sad as he took a step forward. "Nami…" he said quietly.

Turning her attention to him, she smiled a little wider. However, as she stared at his face, not seeing the smile she had longed for, but his face none the less, her expression turned pained as tears began to fall from her eyes. She didn't want to leave. However, she knew she had to. Quickly turning, she made her way through the portal before her tears became worse.

"Nami!!" cried Luffy as he stepped forward. However, L stopped him.

"Nami-san!" cried Sanji.

"Nami!!" cried Usopp and Chopper.

Nate glanced at them with a sad frown before closing his eyes, turning and walking through himself. Expression turning pained, Luffy drooped as he watched the tear in space disappear from sight. "Nami…" he whispered.

xxxx

As soon as Nami stepped through, she caught herself before she fell. Then she covered her mouth with her hand as her face contorted in pain. They were all there. She was so close. Also coming through, Nate was able to catch himself as well. He frowned sadly as he saw her.

"Na-…" he started to call out, but was cut short. He was suddenly rushed and slammed against the cabin wall. "Gah!!" he exclaimed.

Gasping, Nami quickly turned. "Wha-?!" she exclaimed.

"Go somewhere? Did you have_ fun_?!" yelled D as he slammed his fist into Nate's gut.

"Guh!!" exclaimed Nate as he doubled over.

"No! Stop it!!" yelled Nami as she ran over and threw herself on D. However, he only shrugged her off roughly, sending her back. Landing on her back, she cried out a bit.

"Want to go places without me, do you?" asked D with a humored chuckle as he threw Nate to the ground beside him.

"Agh!!" exclaimed Nate as he tried to get up.

Nami quickly got up and ran for him again. "Don't!! Stop it!! I asked him to take me!!" she yelled as she threw herself at him again.

"Nami, don't!!" yelled Nate.

However, D only placed a hand over her face and shoved her away roughly again. This time, she landed harder on the deck, crying out. Walking over to Nate, he then kicked him, rolling him onto his back. "I will teach you not to go anywhere without _my_ permission…" he said in a low and threatening voice.

Looking up at him in slight fear, Nate tried to push himself away from him. However, he made it to him quickly, stepping on his leg. Sitting up, Nami turned to both of them with a look of horror. "Stop it!!" she cried as tears began to fall from her eyes. Then she gasped and watched in horror as he leaned down…and broke Nate's leg. "_No_!!" she cried as she got up.

"Aa-ah!!" screamed Nate in pain as he held his broken leg.

Smirking down at him viciously, D only chuckled down at him. "Now let's see you go anywhere without me…I was lonely, damn it…" he said in amusement as he continued to chuckle.

Falling next to Nate, Nami tried to look him over. However, D roughly grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet. "Agh!!" she cried out from the pain of his hold.

Then he pulled her forward and then shoved her in the direction of the cabin. "What are you doing?! I'm the one who…took her!!" screamed Nate as he tried to crawl towards them. He winced from the pain as sweat beaded down his face, already beginning to pale.

Face also paling, she turned to him, fear evident on her face. '_What is he planning_?!' she thought to herself. "Nate, don't…" she said, not wanting to make it worse for him than it already was.

"You reek of _his_ stench…You're going to wash it off…" said D with a cold glare.

"Wha-What…?" she whispered as her eyes widened. However, he only pushed her again. Her face paled further when she realized he intended on going in with her. "No…" she whispered.

"It was me, damn it!! _Leave her alone_!!" yelled Nate at the top of his lungs. His face paled further as well, when he noticed he wasn't stopping. "_I said stop_!!" he yelled.

Stopping, D turned a cold glare on him before smirking. "You think you can do something about it, little pussy?" he asked as he chuckled in amusement as Nate tried to pull himself across the deck.

"Fuck you, you fucking psycho bastard, son of a bitch!! Leave her alone!!" he screamed, hoping to turn his attention back on him, and thus leave Nami alone.

Face darkening, D's expression turned into a scowl as he slowly walked over to Nate. "_No_,_ stop it_!! _Don_'_t_,_ please_!!" cried Nami.

Breathing heavily, Nate knew he was about to feel more pain. He didn't care. He wanted to protect his first friend ever since his sister. Walking up to him with the same dark expression, D finally stopped in front of him. "Psycho…?" he asked quietly in a dark voice.

"That's right!! You insane, psychopathic _freak_!!" he yelled at him.

"Nate, stop it!!" screamed Nami with wide eyes.

Growling low at first, D then let out a scream as he kicked Nate hard in his gut, sending him flying across the deck, and slamming him into the cabin wall. He slid down the wall, and slumped forward, unmoving. "Nate!!" screamed Nami as she ran for him again.

However, D threw an arm out, catching her in it as she passed and then shoved her back towards the bathroom. "S-Stop…" breathed Nate as he attempted to crawl forward. However, the wind had been completely knocked out of him. He coughed up blood as he gasped for air.

Ignoring him, he continued to push Nami towards the bathroom. She glanced over to the door with wide, terror filled eyes. She had a slight idea what he had planned. As soon as he shoved her in, she quickly turned to him as he entered. "I get it! I smell like him! I-I'll bathe! Just…let me do it…" she said, but whispered that last part as she felt her body begin to shake.

"Strip." he said in a cold and low voice.

Face paling to a sickly white, she felt herself begin to tremble further. "No…" she whispered. "I…I will…" she started to say.

"I said strip!" he yelled. Then he smirked at her. "Or I will go out there and break the little pussy's other leg." he said.

Gasping, she shook her head. "No…" she whispered again. "I-I thought…you didn't like…forcing…" she started to say. However, her throat closed from her fear.

"You've got three seconds. One…." he said in his low, cold voice.

Quickly lifting up her shirt, she felt tears form in her eyes as she began to remove her clothes. '_Luffy_…' she called as she closed her eyes against the tears. When she was completely bare, standing before him, she slowly opened her eyes to his still cold ones. She was having trouble standing, she was shaking so bad. As he stepped forward, she felt herself tensing up. However, he grabbed her arm and turned her around, shoving her towards the shower. Getting the idea, she continued forward on faulty legs as she reached for the knobs to turn the water on.

The tears fell then as she closed her eyes, the water drenching her. She could almost feel his eyes boring into her. An involuntary shiver ran down her spine. Then suddenly, she felt hands slip on to her waist. Gasping loudly, she quickly turned her head to see him close behind her, completely bare as well.

"What are you doing?!" she cried as her eyes widened.

Only seeming to chuckle in response, he pressed his body against hers. Gasping loudly, she stiffened her entire body as she turned her now heated face away from him. She could feel her entire body heating. Leaning his head forward, his hair fell to the front as his smirk remained visible. Then he slowly began to kiss the back of her neck and shoulder. Gasping again, she shut her eyes tightly at the tingles it was causing to course throughout her body.

"Stop it…" she said as she pulled forward.

However, he kept a tight hold on her waist and only chuckled again as he continued to kiss, suck and lick the back of her neck and shoulder. "Please…please stop…" she said as more tears seeped through her closed eyes. Not only did he not stop, but then he began to run his hands up and down her body.

"Guh…stop it!" she cried weakly as she tried to keep herself from sobbing and her body from responding.

Growling, he grabbed her shoulder and turned her around to face him. Gasping, her eyes flew open as a blush crept up her cheeks. She stared up into his scowling face as water dripped from his hair, nose and chin. More tears spilled from her eyes. He looked so much like him…but he wasn't. "Please…don't do this…" she whispered. It hurt. It hurt a lot knowing he was Luffy.

Scoffing, his expression turned back into a smirk as he leaned forward. "I know you're attracted to me woman…Submit…" he said as he placed kisses onto her chin and then down her throat.

Closing her eyes again, she could feel her entire body begin to vibrate and heat further. Breathing deeply, she clenched her fists against his chest. "Please…stop…" she said louder, but with tears in her voice.

Ignoring her, he slid his hand up her wet body and cupped her breast. "Aagh!" she cried out as she felt a sob escape her lips. "Please! Don't!" she cried out loudly.

Cringing as he continued to crawl on the floor, Nate clenched his teeth at her cries. "_Shit_!!" he exclaimed as he clenched his fist into tight balls.

Chuckling again, D squeezed her and continued to kiss down her chest. "You don't want to do this…You don't want to do this…" she repeated quietly as she tried her hardest not to cry any more.

Stopping, he looked up at her with a hard expression. "No, I think I do…" he said.

Then he leaned back down and continued to kiss down her chest. Biting her lip hard, she turned away, not knowing what to do. She couldn't stop her body from responding, because she wasn't repulsed by him, but she didn't want this. "Aagh!" she cried out when she felt his hot mouth over her nipple. She wanted to pull away, but the wall was preventing her from doing that. "Please! Stop this!" she cried as she had to retain a sob.

Her body was growing weak, her kneels feeling as if they would buckle right from under her. His hands began to roam down her body. "No…" she whispered as she closed her eyes tighter. "No please…Ugh!" she cried out from his hands roaming further down. Clenching her teeth hard, she ground them as a sob escaped her lips.

"Stop this…I don't want it." she said as she opened her eyes and looked into his face. "I know you don't want to do this…What…What happened to you? Why are you like this…?" she whispered as more tears escaped her eyes.

Scowling down at her, he bared his teeth as he removed his hand. "What _happen_ to me?! Why am I _like_ this?!" he yelled.

Closing her eyes a bit, she tried to calm her racing heart. Opening them again, she looked up at him again. "I know you couldn't have possibly been born this way…I know…you had to have been like him once…" she said quietly.

Clenching his teeth tighter, his scowl deepened. "What the hell do you know about me?!" he yelled.

"You're still him…I know you have to be the same…You don't have to be like this…" she said.

Lips twitching, he then began to chuckle before breaking out into laughter. Face turning pained, she turned her face away from the awful sound. "I don't have to be like this?!" he asked in complete amusement. "Are you just trying to kid yourself?" he asked.

Tearing up again at his cruel words, she took a deep breath. '_He_'_s __**not**__ Luffy_…' she thought to herself painfully. Reaching up, she hugged herself and tried to cover her breasts. "He has to be in there some where…" she whispered as she began to cry again.

"_He died a long __**fucking **__time ago_!!" he screamed down into her face angrily.

Gasping, and crying out slightly at his cruel, vulgar, and angry outburst, she stared up at him wide eyed as she began to shake again. Then more tears began to stream down her face. "What happened to you…?" she whispered again. She really wanted to know what made him go so wrong.

Growling as he continued to scowl at her, he shoved her harshly to the floor before walking off and snatching up his clothes. "Aah!" she cried out as she hit the cold, hard floor.

Pulling on his shorts, he stormed out of the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. Curling up into a ball, she began to sob loudly as she remained where she lay on the floor.

xxxx

Sitting on deck next to where she had been, Luffy sat with his arms crossed and a frown on his face. He was glad that she was okay and unharmed. However, it still didn't put him at ease. He could only wonder what had been waiting on the other side. Is she still okay? Sighing, he closed his eyes and slumped forward a bit. She was just there, right in that very spot and he couldn't do a damn thing to keep her there. Clenching and baring his teeth, he growled to himself as he crossed his arms tighter.

As soon as the door had closed, he had walked up to this spot and plopped down. The crew seemed to understand that he needed to be alone and had walked away. He wasn't sure how long he had been sitting there. It had been really good to see her, even if it was just for a few minutes. However, what he had seen bothered him. Her expression…just before she turned to leave, that expression was burned into his sockets every time he closed his eyes. She had looked pained, and she had been crying.

Relaxing, he slumped forward a bit more as the hold he had on his arms loosened. He had wanted so much to go to her, but L had stopped him. Maybe it was a good thing he had. He just might have followed her in…He would have followed her anywhere…if he had had his way…Maybe L knew that and was why he stopped him. Opening his eyes slowly, he stared down at the grassy deck. He hadn't liked L at first, but now he wasn't sure how he would have dealt with this situation without him. He might have gotten them all killed if it wasn't for L. L seemed to have a great deal more patience than he had.

Sighing, he sat back a little bit as he lifted his gaze ahead of him. There was one thing though. He envied L, more than anything he envied him. He and his Nami have something great. She was so nice and more patient too. Not only that, but he saw how they were together. His Nami meant a lot to him too, that much he knew. However, he wasn't sure how she felt about him. He was pretty sure that she didn't like him, at least, not like how N likes L. Giving a side ways frown, he then growled to himself and ruffled his own hair in frustration, knocking his hat off of his head.

Slumping forward again with a sigh, he then leaned down until his forehead touched the grass. Maybe that wasn't something he should be thinking about. He should be focusing on getting her back. However, what he had seen back on the island still bothered him. Why hadn't she tried to stop him? He knew if she didn't want something, she would fight to prevent it. Did she prefer that? Did she prefer someone who wasn't silly and happy all the time, who wasn't a complete idiot?

Growling quietly to himself, he shook his head. No, she didn't. She wouldn't have been crying. He did seem more serious…more mature…He could tell he knew a lot…and wasn't an idiot…She didn't prefer that…right? '_No_,_ he's insane_!_ That_'_s what she said_,_ right_? _And…he's mean…She wouldn_'_t like someone who is mean…Unless…_'

Expression turning pained as he stared down at the grass, he closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths to ease his troubled mind.

"Luffy…?"

Eyes flying open, he sat up and turned to the worried voice. "A-Are you alright?" asked N as she frowned down at him.

"Aa…I'm alright…" he replied as he lowered his gaze and turned away from her.

Crouching down, N sat on her heels next to him with a frown. "Luffy…what's troubling you?" she asked quietly. "I mean…I know this whole thing is, but…it kind of looks like…" she continued, but wasn't sure how to ask.

"It's nothing…Something…I need to figure out on my own… but thanks…I'm really okay though…" he said as he turned a grin on her.

Blinking a few times at him with her frown still in place, she finally sighed and closed her eyes as she stood up. "Alright…if you insist, but…if you need to talk…" she said, but knew she didn't have to complete her sentence.

"Aa…thanks." replied Luffy with his grin as he watched her smile down at him, then turn and walk away.

Losing his grin, he then turned back around and sighed. He knew this was something he had to figure out on his own, or at least, do something about it himself when he got her back, if he did…He wasn't one to doubt, but…

xxxx

After she had pathetically cried her heart out in the bathroom, she then had to hurry and dress to attend to Nate. She grabbed some thick bandages to mend his leg. He had looked up at her with complete concern and fear as soon as he saw her. "Are you alright?!" he cried as he tried to crawl over to her.

Smiling at him the best she could, considering her eyes were swollen and puffy, she nodded. "I'm alright…" she replied weakly, her voice being shaky and coarse.

"Are you sure?! Nami did he touch or hurt you or anything?!" he asked, still concerned.

Laughing a bit, she walked up to him and knelt down beside him. Lifting his arm, she helped him on onto his good leg. "Ugh!" he exclaimed, but clenched his teeth against the pain.

"I'm alright, I promise…" she replied as she helped him to the kitchen where his cot now was. Then she looked around. "Where…Where did he…go?" she asked in a low voice.

"Into the room…" he replied.

"I see…" she replied as she lowered him down into his cot with some trouble.

"Guh!" he exclaimed again.

"I'm so sorry…I never should have made you take me…" she said as she teared up again.

"Don't worry about that…I knew the risks…" he said in a strained voice as he attempted to lie down. "What…happened anyway? He looked really angry when he came out…" he said. He hadn't failed to notice that he had been wet, and so had she…

"Nothing…I would really rather not talk about it…" she replied quietly as she looked for a board in their supplies to help straighten his leg.

"Nami…he didn't…" started Nate.

"No, he didn't. I'm alright, I promise…You know, I read a few of my crew mate's books when I was bored…Luckily, I read one on setting broken bones…" she said as she went back to him. Kneeling down next to his cot, she positioned herself over his leg. "It's going to hurt though…" she said with a sad frown. Then as a second thought, she turned and grabbed a clean dish towel. "Here, you might want to put this in your mouth…" she said as she handed it to him.

Taking it, he placed it in his mouth, his face pale as sweat beaded down his face, and nodded. Sighing, she placed her hands on his leg, feeling for the break. At finding it, she swallowed hard and then pulled his leg fast and hard to set the bone.

"Ga-hmmn…!" screamed Nate through the towel as he leaned his head back and shut his eyes tightly.

Shaking a bit, she felt for the break to make sure she set it right. When she no longer felt it, she nodded and turned to him. "I-I'm sorry…I think it's set, but…we will have to take you to a doctor when we get to the island and make sure…" she said as she removed the towel from his mouth.

"Mmm…It's…fine…" he said as he blinked a few times, his head spinning from the pain.

Taking a few deep breaths, she then set the board and began to wrap it with the thick bandage. Tying it tightly, she turned back to him. "I bought some pain killers…just in case…I will go and get some." she said as she stood to go to the bathroom.

After she had given him the pain killers, he had fallen asleep. Making her way out, she stopped just near the door to the bedroom. It was late and she was tired from the long and horrible day. However, she did not want to see him again. He had yet to come out of the room. Rubbing her arms, she turned away from the door and started to walk away. However, the door flew open. Gasping, she turned just for her arm to be grabbed. Pulling her inside, he shut the door and shoved her toward the bed.

Sighing, she climbed into it and lay down, covering herself. Then she stiffened when she felt a dip in the bed, knowing what was coming next. Just as she thought, an arm was wrapped around her and she was pulled against him. Closing her eyes, she tried to fall asleep without thinking about the warm body behind her. However, she fell asleep almost instantly. It had been a long and hard day.

A few hours later, she was startled awake by a loud gasp and him crying out as he quickly sat up. Gasping herself, she sat up and turned. However, she was roughly shoved from the bed from her having startled him. Crying out slightly as she hit the floor, she quickly turned to look up at him. He was breathing heavily with wide, pained eyes as sweat beaded down his face. Then he finally turned to look at her. '_Did he…have a nightmare_?' she thought to herself.

"D-Did…you…have a nightmare?" she asked tentatively.

Finally seeming to calm down, he swiped his hand down his face and then stared down at her coldly. "That's none of your damn business." he said in a cold voice.

"I-It must have been…horrible…What was it about…?" she asked quietly, persisting.

"I said it's none of your damn business!" he yelled down at her as his face contorted into a scowl.

However, she slid her legs under her and sat on her knees as she set her hands in front of her. "Please…tell me…What happened to you…?" she whispered. She really wanted to know what horrible things had befallen him if he was having nightmares and for him being the way he was. "What was the nightmare about?" she whispered as she slid a little closer to the bed. "Please…I really want to know…" she said.

Suddenly, his cold scowl turned into a vicious smirk as he crawled to the edge of the bed. "You really want to know?" he asked in an amused voice.

Feeling a shiver run down her spine, she felt herself nodding despite the sudden coldness fill her head and body. "Yes…" she whispered.

"Alright…I'll tell you…If you think you can handle it…" he said as his smirk widened.

Nodding, she swallowed nothing. "Please…" she whispered.

Chuckling, he leaned down a little closer to her. "Alright…Here goes…There was once a little boy and his brother. They were both so happy…" he said in a false cheerful voice. Feeling even colder, she had a bad feeling about this. "Until one day, men came and took them away. They took them both to a scary place where they were tortured and poked with many needles." he started to say.

'_Needles_?!' she thought as her eyes widened.

"'Let's see if we can make him _stretch_!' 'That's a marvelous idea! We can infuse him with rubber!' 'Look! It was a success! Let's stretch him and see how far he goes!' 'Look, he even stretches done here! Isn't this funny?!' 'Ah, it hurts? That's too bad…' But then one day…the boy decided he wanted to see his brother… 'Sure…you can see your brother if you're a good little boy…' However, that was not to be…The little boy escaped and found another man…However, this man wasn't very nice…He was a pirate… 'You do as I say, and we'll take you home little boy…' 'Make sure you clean this real good…if not…you'll be beaten…' 'Woops, you mean you already cleaned over here? That's too bad…because it's dirty again…Looks like I get you tonight, pretty boy…' 'The captain gets you after…'"

Gasping, a hand flew to her mouth as her eyes widened in complete shock. "Oh my God…" she whispered. All she could see was Luffy as a child abused and tortured.

Smirking wider and nastier, he began to chuckle at her response. He had expected her to be horrified, that was the response he was wanting. If she wanted to know, then that's what she got. However, he wasn't expecting the tears that came gliding down her face. Reaching up a hand slowly, she touched her fingertips to his cheek as she let the tears fall down her face. She understood now why he was the way he was. She had been right. He was in pain, and he was suffering.

Making a loud noise in disbelief, his face turned into a scowl as he attempted to pull away from her. However, she sat up as she cupped his face further and more tears spilled from her eyes. His scowl deepened as he bared his teeth. Then he slapped her hand away.

"_I don't need your sympathy_!!" he screamed as he stood and jumped over her, running from the room and slamming the door behind him as he left.

Her entire body began to shake, for all she could see was a scared little boy that was Luffy in so much pain. A sob escaped her lips as she sunk to the ground. Each sob came worse than the last as she began to cry loudly. She felt sick, really sick. "Oh my God…" she said again as she cried to herself, as she cried for that little boy. "Luffy…" she sobbed as she placed her forehead to the ground and continued to sob loudly.

Storming away from the room, D growled to himself as he began to pace across the deck in erratic circles. He reached up and grabbed his head as he began to breathe heavily. What was so pathetic was that wasn't even half of what had happened to him in his short, pathetic and utterly useless life. What had ever possessed him to tell that woman anything? Growling louder, the sound becoming more frantic, he doubled over as he kept a hold of his head. He hated it…He learned a long time ago to never take pity or sympathy. He learned no one could be trusted… He couldn't trust her…

Even if she had saved his life…and had even tried to when she thought he had been drowning. He could tell she had concern for him, but it wasn't him she was really concerned for. It was because he was _him_, or at least another _like_ him. Although, she could have let him die back at that fire, but she hadn't, she had saved him. If she had let him die, she would have been free. He had wanted to horrify her, so he had opened his mouth. He had blatantly spoken what should have never been said.

That was a time he never wanted to be reminded of…However, that man…that man he had come upon. It had been a punch to the gut to see him alive again…That pirate captain bastard whom he had allowed to abuse him for so long, the bastard, son of a bitch who had lied to him. He had instantly lunged for him, taking his disgusting throat in his hand and ripped it out. His vial blood having spilled on him, that nasty vial blood he had ferociously tried to scrub from his body.

It had been more than satisfying to see him dying a second time. He would never touch him again…ever…Face contorting in pain, he growled loudly at just the memory of that man. Turning, he punched a hole into the cabin as more memories of his past flooded his mind. One in particular also lingered in his mind as his expression remained pained. Breathing heavily still, he slumped forward, putting all his weight into the cabin wall as his expression turned more pained.

"Ace…"

**To Be Continued…**

**Author's Note: **T.T (Cries) I know…horrible…You can say it…I give you permission…Anyways, please review! I want to see your thoughts.


	12. Chapter 12: Reevaluation

Crossed

**Author's Note: **Okay, I made it more obvious this time. So I know someone will catch it this time! XP Come on heather! I believe in you! XD Here it is, the 12th chapter! XD I forgot to mention my latest inspirational music. DJ Tiesto's Walking On Clouds, Shiny Toy Guys' Don't Cry Out and Starts With One. Love all three of those songs! XP Thanks Seltap for showing me Shiny Toy Guns! XD We shares moosic alls da time! XP Anyways, I hope you all enjoy my latest chapter! XD Also, thanks for all the reviews so far! I really enjoyed them! XD Please review more and enjoy!

**Crossed**

**Chapter 12: Re-evaluation**

"Have you noticed…that L, Luffy and N-san have become more depressed…?" asked S as he chopped up some vegetables slowly.

"Aa…" replied Sanji quietly as he tenderized the meat, shifting his cigarette to the other side.

"This whole thing is…really…" started S as he sighed and gently set his knife down.

"Aa…It's pretty shitty…" finished Sanji for him with a deep frown.

"Aa…" agreed S as he blinked down at the unfinished vegetables. "I don't think I have ever seen L or N-san so depressed before…It's…depressing…" he continued.

"Try not to think about it…" said Sanji as he turned to fry up the meats. Removing his used up cigarette, he put it out, and then pulled out a new one, lighting it. Taking a long drag of the new cig, he then sighed and closed his eyes as he blew out the smoke slowly. "At least…I try not to. I can't stop thinking about Nami-san…I really want to hurt that shitty, psycho bastard…Although, I'm not sure I will get that chance. So the best we can do is focus on getting L and Luffy stronger…" he continued.

Nodding with his head lowered, S agreed as he lifted the knife again and began to cut again. "I just hope it's enough…It's pretty risky if we aren't…" he said.

"Aa…but I'm willing to sacrifice myself for Nami-san…" said Sanji.

"Of course…I would do the same for N-san in a heart beat." replied S.

Suddenly, the door to the kitchen opened and N walked in and smiled at both before sitting at the table with a sigh. "Are you alright, N-san?" asked S as he approached her with a snack he had prepared for her before dinner.

Lifting her fork, she placed her head in her hand and began to eat it slowly. "Un…I'm alright…" she replied quietly.

Coming into the dining room as well, Sanji sat down at the table near her. "Are you sure…N-san…?" he asked.

Looking towards him, she gave a smile. "What about you? How are you holding up…Sanji-kun?" she asked.

Eyes widening slightly, he sighed and closed his eyes as he blew out the smoke from having inhaled a bit. "Don't worry about me, N-san. I'm just fine…" he replied.

Shaking her head, N kept her smile. "This has to be pretty hard on you too. You care about her too, don't you?" she asked.

Narrowing his eyes slightly, he turned back to her and stared at her for awhile. "Aa, I do." he replied.

Nodding, N looked back down at her desert. S looked from N to Sanji with a slight frown. Everything was so different from their crew to this one. Since L and N had already been together before they found him, he hadn't developed any feelings for N-san that he might have if they hadn't been. It didn't mean he didn't care about her, because he did. She definitely had a special place in his heart. However, this Sanji had the chance if he did, that was. However, to have them come along and basically show that it was a possibility that Luffy and Nami were always destined to be together, could be pretty crushing. Sanji seemed to be holding up pretty well, but S knew he might not be holding up as well as he let on.

"So then…you're okay…?" she asked again.

"Aa…I'm okay. Whatever makes Nami-san happy, makes me happy." he replied referring to Luffy and Nami. "As far as what that shitty bastard did…He'll pay for it…We'll make sure of it…" he continued.

Frowning, she paused with her fork in her snack. "He's not a shitty bastard…He's Luffy…He has to be in pain…suffering…something…I just wish…I knew what it was…" she said quietly as her expression turned sad.

"N-san…?" questioned S as his expression turned concerned.

"It's almost as if…I can feel it…It makes me sad when I think of it…when I think of him…" she explained.

Both frowned at her, neither sure of what she meant. Closing her eyes slowly, she set her fork down. "I just wish…they didn't have to fight…That…makes me so sad too…They're Luffy…" she whispered as she placed her hands over her face.

"They may all be Luffy…but that other one…is nothing like him…" said Sanji as he removed his cigarette from his mouth.

"Un…" she mumbled, still hiding behind her hands. "Maybe not…but he is still Luffy…" she continued.

Sighing, Sanji was beginning to understand. She didn't see this Luffy as a monster or a nuisance. She saw him as Luffy, the man she was in love with, even if he was still a different person, just like his Luffy. He shifted his eyes away and thought he would probably understand if this Luffy had maybe been another Nami. He would still care about her.

"And it still hurts…" she whispered almost incoherently.

Frowning sadly, he closed his eyes and looked away as he placed the cigarette back into his mouth. S also closed his eyes at her sad words. Placing a hand on her shoulder gently, he leaned forward over her. "Nami-san…Don't be sad…Everything will work out, you'll see…If he is Luffy…then…maybe…I don't know…I'm sure…Lu-L will come through…and Luffy too…" he said as he opened his eyes to look down at the top of her head.

Reaching up a hand, she gently placed it over his and gave a slight squeeze. "I know it will…" she said as she leaned her head back and gave him a sad smile. "I'm sorry for making you worry." she continued.

Smiling in return, S shook his head. "It's my job to worry about you, Nami-san. You are my friend." he said.

Smile turning warmer, she nodded before looking back down. Sanji blinked at them a bit. They had a different friendship than he and Nami had. Furrowing his brows a bit in a frown, he couldn't help but to notice that their counterparts were some how more mature than they were…S and Z never fought with one another…Even U wasn't as frightened by things as Usopp. Now he saw how seriously this counterpart of his took his relationship with this Nami. He never fawned over her, but still treated her with respect, and in doing so, she also treated him better and with trust.

Shifting his eyes away, he finally stood up to finish cooking their meal.

Finally getting up from his spot, Luffy made his way to the others. "You alright now?" asked L as he smiled at Luffy.

"Aa…just had some thinking to do…" replied Luffy as he smiled in return.

"I figured…" replied L.

"W-What were you thinking about Luffy?" asked Chopper innocently.

Taking a deep breath, Luffy turned towards the sea. "A lot of things…Things I probably shouldn't worry about." he said as he turned back to his tiny friend with a grin.

"Eh?" questioned the tiny reindeer.

"Shishi, it's nothing." said Luffy as he pat the confused reindeer's head.

Staring up at him a bit longer, he finally smiled up at Luffy. "Okay!" he finally said in contentment.

"We should be leaving soon…I think we've given them a good enough head start..." said L with a frown.

Also frowning, Luffy lowered his gaze. "Aa…Jin said he would bring more men tomorrow…to help train…It's going to be interesting." he said.

"Aa…That it is…" agreed L with a nod.

"It's going to be difficult…Think you can both handle it?" asked Zoro as he opened an eye to look towards them.

"Of course we can!" exclaimed Luffy with vehemence before deflating slightly and his expression turning serious. "We have to…" he said a little quieter.

"Aa, we do…He's strong. We've gotten stronger, but still not as strong as him. It's going to be very hard, but I know we can do it." said L in reassurance.

"That's right. She's counting on me." said Luffy with a nod.

Smiling, L also nodded. "So is N…" he said.

Also smiling, Luffy nodded. "Aa…" he agreed.

"By the way…" started L as he frowned.

Also loosing his smile, Luffy tilted his head at L. "Eh?"

"I…wanted to apologize…about earlier…" he said quietly as he lowered his gaze.

Blinking, Luffy looked at L in confusion. "Why are you apologizing? What for?" he asked.

"She…wasn't here for long…and we bombarded her with questions…You never even really got to talk to her…She probably wanted to see you…and your crew…" he said as he looked up at Luffy with a sad frown. "I'm sorry…" he continued.

Staring at him for awhile with slightly wide eyes, he then grinned at him. "It's okay! It's not like I won't get her back! Then I will get to see and talk to her all I want again!" he said as he chuckled.

Seeming relieved, L sighed deeply as he seemed to droop with relief. "I still felt really bad…" he said.

"Shishi, it's alright. I understand that there were things you needed to know. Especially about the Shrimp…" replied Luffy with a grin.

"I was surprised about that." said L with a confused frown. "They seemed to be getting along…She even said he had been willing to sacrifice himself for her…I don't get it…I wonder what happened…" said L quietly.

"Don't know…Nami was nice to him…" replied Luffy with pursed lips.

Turning to him, L smiled knowingly. "She was being nice to him, huh?" he said with a chuckle.

Nodding vehemently, he then frowned and plopped his butt down on the deck as he crossed his arms. "How come she's never nice to me?!" he said loudly in annoyance.

Shrugging, L kept his smile. At least jealousy could be evoked from him. He was sure now how Luffy felt. '_So then it's true…We __**were**__ meant to be together…_' he thought to himself with a warm smile. He also remembered the look she had given Luffy before she had to leave. It had been so sad…Frowning himself, he sighed. Not only that, but it had been filled with emotion, and maybe even longing…One thing was for sure, she definitely had her reasons for why she wasn't nicer to Luffy, but she most definitely cared about him.

Walking up to Luffy, he pat his shoulder. "Don't worry. I'm sure things will get better once she gets back. You just have to take the initiative." he said.

"Ini-what? I gotta take what from Nami?" asked Luffy as he raised a brow and stared up at L with a tilted head in confusion.

Chuckling, he then shook his head. "Never mind…I'm sure you'll figure it out…" he said as he grinned down at Luffy.

Blinking at L, Luffy tilted his head further as he stared up at him with a wide eyed blank expression. "Huh…?"

xxxx

Sitting up on the roof, D had an arm rested on his raised knee while the other was holding him up. He lightly ran a knuckle across his lips as he stared out towards the rising sun. All he could think about was the night before. He hadn't gone back into the room since he had left it. He could still remember the sounds of her cries coming from inside. After about half an hour, it had gone quiet. He had figured she had cried herself to sleep. Her tears had bothered him. After he had calmed down, it was all he could hear.

The other thing he remembered…was her repeating his name over and over again…However, he wasn't sure if it was his name she called…or _his_. He had never expected her to react in that way. He had expected her to be horrified and maybe even disgusted. Pity was something he could never accept, hers being no different. However, she had sounded like as if she were the one in pain. What he had told her had actually caused her pain. Continuing to run his knuckle across his lips, he shifted his eyes downward when he heard the door open.

The door opened slowly and then she finally stepped out. She walked out a distance and then turned to look up at him. He stared down at her coldly. Her expression turned slightly sad as she began to play with her fingers. "D-Did you not…go back to sleep…?" she asked tentatively.

"Don't pretend like you care about me bitch…" he said in a low cold voice.

Expression turning more sad and pained, she lowered her gaze and nodded. '_But I do care_…' she thought as she made her way to the kitchen. However, she knew that it wouldn't matter to him. He most likely wouldn't believe her anyway. Walking into the kitchen, Nate greeted her with a frown.

"Nami, are you okay?! I heard you crying last night…What happened?" he asked.

Smiling at him, she shook her head. "It's nothing. I just got a little depressed is all…I think my tears might have disgusted and pissed him off, so he ended up sleeping outside…" she lied. She didn't want to tell Nate the truth. She was pretty sure he wouldn't understand.

Still with his frown, he nodded accepting her reply. Turning away, her smile turned into a frown. She didn't like having to lie to her friend, but she knew she couldn't possibly tell him what D had told her the night before. Going to the fridge, she brought out food to be able to cook for them. After she was done cooking, she set his plate out for him and then went to give Nate his plate. Then she stepped outside.

"Breakfast is ready…" she called up without looking. At hearing motion above her, she went back inside and sat at the table, waiting for him to enter.

When he did, he stopped and looked right at her with a bit of a frown. "What are you doing?" he asked as he went and sat down.

"I thought I would eat here with the both of you today…" she said.

"I already told you, I don't need your sympathy!" he said in a loud voice as he stared at her coldly.

"It's not sympathy. I just feel like having company today…It gets pretty lonely when I'm by myself…" she said with a smile.

However, his face turned into a nasty scowl as he stood up and slammed his palms down onto the table. "Don't _fuck_ with me!!" he yelled.

Frowning, Nate looked from one to the other with confusion. '_What the hell is he talking about_?' he thought to himself.

Furrowing her brows in a bit of anger, she too stood and leaned forward over the table onto her hands. "I'm not showing you any pity! Why should I?! You don't deserve my pity!! You brought me here without my wanting you to! I can't even see my friends! I don't want to be here with you!! I have to put up with all of your weird moods and horrible attitude!! So damn it, if I want to sit here with you, I think I have a right to do that!!" she said in anger as she huffed.

Staring at her for a long while with his deep frown, his face finally broke into a smirk as he slowly sat down with a scoff. "Do whatever you want then…" he said as he sat down and began to eat.

Sighing in relief, she shakily sat down. She had lost her temper, and it could have gotten her into a lot of trouble. However, he seemed to have accepted her outburst. Reaching up, she lifted her fork and also began to eat. Blinking, Nate shifted his eyes from one to the other trying to figure out what just happened. Frowning, he had a feeling she had lied to him about why she had been crying. '_So then what actually happened_?' he thought to himself.

After she was done eating, she began to gather up the plates. However, he grabbed her wrist, stopping her. "I'll do it…" he said, keeping his gaze to his food.

"It's alright…I can clean up after myself…I always do it anyway…" she said as she tugged on her wrist.

"I said…I'll do it…" he said in a voice she wasn't familiar with. It almost sounded panicky.

Blinking, she stared down at his lowered gaze. She noticed he never looked her in the eyes when he insisted on cleaning himself. "It's really alright, I can do it myself…" she said as she frowned and went to pull away from him.

However, his grip tightened and he pulled her arm suddenly. In doing so, she gasped and dropped the dish, and it shattered across the floor. Inhaling sharply, his eyes widened as he stared down at the floor. "I'll clean it…" he said as he dropped to his knees and began to pick up each piece.

"Oh! I-I'll help!" she said as she also knelt down.

"_No_!!" he cried as he glanced up, but still didn't meet her eyes. "No…I…I will do it…I can do it…" he said quietly as he picked up each piece. "It was my fault…" he whispered.

Gasping at his words, she sat back on her heels, almost falling back onto her backside. "What did you say…?" she asked quietly.

Blinking, Nate looked on curiously, but in confusion. After D gathered it all up, he took it all and dumped it. Then he grabbed the broom to sweep up the rest. Nami watched him in everything he did, but then her expression turned sad. She understood now. She knew exactly why he was doing this. She realized now…it wasn't that he wanted to…It was because he _had_ to…Tearing up, she could only watch the now terrified man clean up the mess. She had a feeling, he wasn't quite there anymore. Whatever those pirates did to him…it had really messed him up.

Covering her mouth, she finally stood up as she continued to watch him frantically try to clean it all up. "What the hell is his problem?" asked Nate as his face contorted in confusion.

"It's nothing…Just…leave him alone…" she whispered as more tears came to her eyes.

Turning to her, Nate frowned deeper at her tears as she only watched him. '_And what_'_s wrong with you_…?' he thought to himself.

After he finished cleaning the mess on the floor, he shakily grabbed the plates from the table and took them to wash them. However, when he was done cleaning everything, he just stood at the sink with his back to her. Rubbing her arms unsurely, she shifted her eyes away from him, and then back to him. He stayed where he was for a long time before he finally turned with his head lowered and hair in his face as he made his way out, slamming the door behind him. Jumping slightly from the noise, she began to tear up again.

"What the hell just happened?!" asked Nate as he frowned in confusion.

Sniffing, she wiped her tears away as she furrowed her brows. "It's nothing…" she said in a stern voice.

Frowning a bit surprised, he stared at her for awhile before he looked away from her. He had a feeling she just didn't want to tell him. She probably had her reasons for not wanting to say anything.

xxxx

The next morning, S and Sanji both woke early and began breakfast for the crews and for Jin and his men. It was a loud and boisterous meal with people everywhere. "Thanks for making us all breakfast. We will have to pay you back some how…" said Jin with a smile as he ate.

"Shishishi, don't worry about it! You're helping us train!" exclaimed Luffy as he laughed.

Watching in with curious eyes, Jin then grinned. "Yeah…I guess so. Thanks Mugiwara!" he said as he took a swig of his drink. Luffy was nothing like he had expected him to be. He was actually a really nice, happy-go-lucky kinda guy. '_So then why the hell is this guy a pirate_…_and one with a three hundred million beli bounty_?' he thought to himself a bit in confusion.

After everyone ate, they all made their way to the place of training. "Are all of you really going to fight?" asked Luffy as he glanced over his shoulder with wide, blank eyes.

"That's right. Think you can handle it?" said Jin.

"Yosh! Bring it on!" exclaimed Luffy with a grin as he pumped his fist into the air.

Chuckling, Jin nodded. "Will do!" he said.

After an hour of walking, they all made it to the training spot. Chopper had also come to help, considering they needed all the help they could get. As soon as they land on the next island, they would have to figure out how to train. It was a bit risky since the other Luffy was bound to be there too. One and a half weeks would be left until the two months was up. It also all depended on how long it would take for the pose to set on that island. However, Jin had said they would help them during that last week and a half.

With everyone rushing at them all at once, it was going to prove difficult, but they had to take them on. They had to get stronger, and this was one of the ways to do it. Luffy wasn't sure just how it was this Luffy was so much stronger than they were, but it must have been something he felt he had to do. He knew that he needed to be stronger too…He wanted to be Pirate King after all, but what was it that drove this Luffy to become as strong as he was in the same time period?

That question riddled his thoughts constantly. He also knew this Luffy wouldn't hold back. He would give his one hundred percent and would even go so far as to end a life. That meant he too had to go all out. He couldn't afford to hold back…Turning to everyone, his expression was serious. Everyone else looked back at him, waiting for the signal to begin. Looking at each face, he finally closed his eyes and took a deep breath before slowly opening them again.

Nodding, he then gave a smile as he began to stretch. "Yosh! Let's get started!" he exclaimed.

"Aa!" every man there cried as they all also prepared for the fight to come.

Sanji pulled out a fresh cigarette and cupped it to light it as he got ready. Zoro pulled out all three of his swords as well as Z. Both Usopp's brought out their slingshots and checked their ammo supply again. Franky cracked his metal knuckles as he grinned. Chopper got into his heavy point and readied a rumble ball. Coby also stretched a long with Luffy.

Grinning at them all, L nodded as he too looked over each face in preparation. He had to admit he was excited, his blood was pumping, and his heart pounding in his ears. Chuckling, he then turned to Luffy, whom he knew was feeling the exact same way. He was greeted with a grin in return. Nodding to each other, they then both got into position. Turning his back to Luffy's, they pressed against one another as they watched all the men begin to surround them.

"I think we should try out that move we had been working on…" whispered L over his shoulder.

"Aa…I was just having that same thought…" said Luffy as his smirk widened.

"Glad to know were on the same page then…" replied L with a chuckle.

"Always." said Luffy as he also chuckled and shifted his eyes from side to side, seeing who would strike first.

Closing his eyes slowly, L exhaled slowly before opening them slowly again. Just as he did, the first man charged. It was a deafening battle cry of many voices that rose into the air around them. Rolling forward, he kicked up his legs, kicking a man in his chin, sending him flying upward. Springing himself back onto his feet, he then ducked to avoid Sanji's kicks. Then he jumped up to avoid Jin's sword, but then had to lean back mid jump to avoid Z's. Sweat beading down his face. He flipped back completely and landed on his feet as he let out his breath in relief.

Lunging forward, Luffy grabbed the first man to reach him and threw him over his shoulder as he quickly recovered and jabbed another man in the gut. Spinning around, he dodged Zoro's swords, shoving his back using his own momentum against him to push him into a few men. As he faced forward again, he leaned completely back as he dodged a kick to the head. Grabbing the leg, he finished the flip backwards, taking S with him, slamming him into the ground, and landing with feet into his back. Jumping off he then kicked another man in the face, and then had to flip backwards again to avoid Coby's attack.

xxxx

As soon as they docked, D jumped down to the port, grabbing the rope and tying it to the post. Turning, he made his way back on board, grabbing his shirt and putting it on. Nami stared at his tattooed back as he put his shirt on. Sighing with a frown, she turned and went into the kitchen. "We need to get you to a doctor. Do you think you can walk it if I help you?" she asked.

"Aa…I'll be fine…" he said.

"Alright, then up we go…" she said with a smile as she reached down and pulled his arm behind her shoulders.

Chuckling and grinding his teeth at the same time, he attempted to get up on his good leg. Once up, they walked out of the door with her supporting him the entire way. D only watched them pass with a bored look on his face. Ignoring him completely, Nami continued to help Nate to the edge of the ship.

"Here comes the hard part." she said with a nervous smile as she looked at him. Then she frowned at hearing D's chuckle from behind.

"I can handle it…" said Nate with determination as he lifted his bad leg over the rail and then the other. Turning, he attempted the climb down with grunts from the pain.

Then Nami climbed over and followed him down. "That's it…Not too fast…" she said as she kept an eye on him.

As soon as he made it down, he fell to the ground. "Damn!" he exclaimed.

Frowning, Nami jumped down the rest of the way and went to him. "You okay?" she asked as she knelt down beside him to help him back up.

"Aa…I'm alright…" he said as he took her offered hand and tried to stand again.

It took a great deal of effort, but they finally found a doctor. As soon as they went inside, the doctor was able to see them right away. "This is a nasty break…How'd it happen?" asked the doctor.

"Bit off more than I could chew…" replied Nate with an unhappy frown. Nami also frowned and turned away.

"I see…" replied the doctor as he examined the break. "It looks like it was set pretty good, but we are going to have to make sure. Then we will have to cast it properly." said the doctor as he turned to his nurse and nodded.

Nodding, the nurse left to get the silently requested items. After his leg was properly set and cast, the doctor then gave Nate a set of crutches to walk with. Leaving the office, he had a bit of trouble using them. "Damn, these things are ridiculous…" he said with pursed lips.

Chuckling, Nami went to him to help him situate them better. "There, now try." she said.

Walking a bit, he then smiled. "Ah, much better…Thanks for paying for me…" he said.

Smiling as well, Nami then turned to make her way back to the ship. "Don't worry about it. It's the least I can do." she replied, referring to his having saved her life and having taken her to see her nakama, which is the reason his leg was broken in the first place. "You know…I'm surprised he let us leave…" she said as she lost her smile.

"Aa…me too…I wonder what the hell his problem is…He really pisses me off…" replied Nate with a scowl.

Sighing deeply, Nami frowned. "He just has…issues…he hasn't quite dealt with…" she said quietly.

"Issues? Yeah, I noticed…" he said sarcastically.

Frowning sadder, she sighed again. "Un…" she agreed as she lowered her gaze.

"Hey…I…noticed that…I dunno…You seem sad every time you look at him…Did something…happen?" he asked cautiously with a frown.

Sighing again, for it seems the hundredth time that day, she looked away slightly. "It's nothing…" she replied with her usual answer.

"You keep saying that too…I understand if you don't want to tell me…" he said.

"It's not that I don't…but rather…I don't feel I have a right too…" she said.

Turning to her, his expression turned confused. "Wait…Are you saying he told you? Did he tell you what happened to him?! He actually confided on you?!" he asked.

"Well…no…not really…" she replied as her frown turned exasperated.

"Not really?" he asked more confused.

"He did…sorta tell me…but not confide…I think he was trying to…horrify me…disgust me maybe…but…" she said as she placed a knuckle over her lips.

"But…?" he asked for her to continue.

"Let's just say…I don't excuse or approve of how he is…but…I understand why he is the way he is now…He has a pretty good reason to why he dislikes people…and why he distrusts them so much…" she said quietly and sadly.

Blinking a few times as he stared at her with furrowed brows, he then furrowed them deeper as he looked away. Also looking away, Nami glanced to the side and then gasp. Stopping, she turned to what she had seen. Also stopping, Nate turned to her awkwardly in question.

"What is it?" he asked.

In the building in front of them was D. He was staring at something pinned to the wall and his expression looked shocked. His eyes were wide, his skin slightly pale, and sweat beaded down his face. Frowning, she approached the building and him. Perking suddenly, he quickly turned to her. Then his expression changed into a deep frown. Reaching up, he ripped a piece of paper from the wall and stuffed it into his pocket. Furrowing her brows further, she gathered it must have been a bounty.

As soon as she approached him, she began to fiddle with her fingers. "A-Are you collecting bounty posters?" she asked tentatively.

Ignoring her completely, he turned and went further inside. She was surprised that he was even in here. It was risky coming into a place like this. Looking around, she then stepped in and followed him. Grabbing a few other posters, he then turned to her and approached her.

"Here…" he said as he tossed them at her chest.

Taking them from him, her eyes shifted to the one he had stuffed in his pocket before looking at the ones he gave her. "Are these the ones who are rumored to be here?" she asked as she looked up at him.

Nodding, he then walked past her to leave. Following him, she looked over each poster. Nate was outside waiting for them. He narrowed his eyes as D past, and then relaxed his expression as Nami came out. "Are those the bounties that are here?" he asked.

"Un…There's one here worth quite a bit…" she said quietly as she looked over each one.

Looking over, he nodded. "That is a lot…" he agreed.

Once they got back to the ship, Nami went into the room and sat down as she looked over the bounties. Then she set them to the side. Everything about him seemed to suddenly make sense. His quest to become the strongest…He wanted to make sure no one was stronger than him…so no one could hurt him anymore. He had built an impenetrable wall around himself, locking in all his emotions. His cold and icy exterior hid probably only more ice on the interior. So just like L, he didn't eat a fruit to become the way he was. He was actually made that way…but not by his own will.

Lowering her gaze to the floor, she felt sad, very sad. She couldn't imagine how much he had suffered since he was a little boy, how much he had endured. Hugging herself, she rose up her knees and hugged herself tightly. '_He must be so lonely...and he must have been so scared…_' she thought to herself as a cold chill washed over her. Shivering, she lowered her forehead to her knees. '_All wounds could be healed_…_right_…?' she thought as tears came to her eyes.

Lifting her head, she wiped the tears away and stood up. Walking out, she made her way to the kitchen slowly. Opening the door quietly, she could see him sitting at the table. He was staring down at the same bounty he had ripped from the wall. Walking in quietly, she peered over his shoulder and then gasped as her eyes widened. Quickly jumping out of his chair, he turned to her, looking startled. Then he moved the bounty away from her eyes.

"What the hell are you doing?!" he bellowed in anger.

"That…That bounty…" she said as her breath caught in her throat. '_Oh my god…_' she thought to herself as she felt her nervousness rise.

"It's none of your damn business!" he yelled at her.

"None of my…" she breathed as she furrowed her brows. "Where is he…?" she asked as she furrowed them deeper.

xxxx

Sitting at the dining table, everyone was leaned back in their chairs, satisfied from the meal. "Haa! That was great Sanji, S!!" exclaimed Luffy with a grin.

"Of course it was, you shitty bastard!" exclaimed Sanji from the kitchen.

S chuckled. "Thanks Luffy." he replied with a smile.

"Shishishi!" laughed Luffy as he pat his belly.

"Oi, Dart Brows…Are you still made that you couldn't get a kick off on Luffy a few days ago?" asked Zoro with a smirk.

"Geez, how long are you gonna stay mad?" asked Usopp as he frowned at Sanji.

"Shut your holes!!" yelled Sanji as he slammed his palm down onto the counter.

Laughing, Luffy sat up. "That's supposed to be a good thing, right?! I've gotten a lot better and stronger and faster!" he exclaimed excitedly.

"Ee, it's definitely a good thing, Luffy." replied Robin in a gentle voice as she laughed softly.

"Aa, the Ero-cook never even laid a foot on L either…Maybe he's just getting worse…" chuckled Zoro as he sat back and closed his eyes with a satisfied smirk.

"Shut up, stupid Marimo!! You want me to come over there and show you how much worse I've gotten?!" yelled Sanji, almost losing the cigarette that managed to stay in his mouth.

"Bring it on, Love-cook…" said Zoro as he stood and quickly pulled Wadō Ichimonji from it's sheath.

"Oi, oi, knock it off!" yelled N as she stood up from her seat, looking angry. "Why do you guys constantly fight each other?! Why can't you be more like Z and S?!" she yelled in her irritation.

Both Zoro and Sanji stopped and looked at N and then at Z and S. Both were blinking at them, Z with a tilted head and raised brow. "Actually, I've been meaning to ask...why is it that they _don't_ fight…?" asked Usopp, with furrowed brows as he rubbed his chin.

Sighing, N sat back down as she closed her eyes. "It's no wonder Nami loses her temper so much…You guys are out of control…That's the seventh fight over the past four days…" she said quietly more to herself as she rubbed her temples.

They all turned to look at her with blinking, confused eyes. Chuckling, L rubbed her back as he leaned towards her. Also, chuckling, Luffy sat back in his chair again. "We're not out of control! We just like to have fun!" he exclaimed.

"There's a difference between fun and just plain out of control Luffy…" said N with a frown as she looked up at him. "Your crew is just crazy." she said as she frowned further.

Z and S seemed to find this amusing and both chuckled. N turned her frown on them. "Shishishi! I wouldn't have them any other way!" exclaimed Luffy as he laughed.

The guys all chuckled along with Robin. "I'm sure Nami would beg to differ…" she said with narrowed eyes.

"No way! Nami wouldn't wanna change us!" he said as he started to purse his lips.

"Sure she would! That's why she loses her temper all the time! Maybe you guys should behave more often!" said N in a raised voice.

Looking from one to the other, L's eyes widened slightly.

"But that's no fun!!" exclaimed Luffy as he leaned forward.

"There are better ways to have fun without yelling at each other, fighting or running around like crazy maniacs! You, Usopp and Chopper make all sorts of noise and break all sorts of things!" said N as she too leaned forward.

Frowning, L raised up a hand. "Umm…" he said.

"We were just having fun!!" exclaimed Luffy.

"That's not fun! That's misbehaving! If you guys would behave more often, she wouldn't have to lose her temper with you guys so much! You complain that she's mean and always seems mad at you, well that's why!!" she said as she stood up with her palms flat on the table.

"Oi, Nami…calm down…" said L in a quiet, soothing voice as he placed a hand on her arm.

"But I like who I am…" said Luffy with a serious frown and quiet voice.

"Ah!" N's eyes widened as that small noise escaped her throat. Then she looked down at L. He had a slight frown. Blinking a few times, she then looked back at Luffy who was also frowning at her. "I-I…I'm sorry. I didn't mean…to…yell at you…" she said as she slowly sat back down.

Everyone was staring at her wide eyed. Usopp leaned over towards Zoro. "She looked a lot like our Nami just now…" he whispered.

Zoro then leaned back towards Usopp. "Aa…" he agreed.

Eyes widening, Luffy looked at both Usopp and Zoro at what they just said before looking back at N. She had looked a lot like Nami just now. Then his expression turned troubled as he furrowed his brows and seemed to visibly droop. "It _is_ me…" he whispered before he got up and walked out.

"Ah, no wait!" said N, but he continued until the door closed behind him. Frowning sadly, N also drooped. "I didn't mean to…" she started to say.

Standing up, L placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it affectionately. "I'll go talk to him." he said as he smiled warmly down at her.

Looking up at him sadly, she then nodded as she watched him leave.

**To Be Continued…**

**Author's Note: **Dun, dun, dun! Those evil cliff-hangers! XO Always rearing their ugly heads! XP Welp, I hope you guys liked this chapter! XD So some folks got a rudes awakenin's! XP I wonders what's theys gonna do 'bout it…if at all…XP Anyways, I hoped you enjoyed! XD Please review! PLEASE! I like those…Reading them gives me motivation, yo. Makes me wanna write faster…or if at all! XP Hahaha! XD


	13. Chapter 13: Pain So Great

Crossed

**Author's Note: **Alright guys…and when I say guys…I mean the boys…You know, the male portion of my readers…I got a little something in this chapter for you guys…I thought it a bit unfair, seeing as I'm female, that I tend to lean more towards what the girls might like…I decided that that was a little on the unfair side for you guys…So, I stepped out of my comfort zone and put something in here for you guys. I _really_ hope you enjoy and appreciate what I did for you guys…XO Sorry ladies…but it was their time…I want to be a good writer…not a biased one…Anyways, please review and enjoy! XD

**Crossed**

**Chapter 13: Pain So Great**

"Where is he…?"

"I said…it's none of your damn business woman…" he replied in a threatening voice.

"Then…can I at least ask …?" she started to ask.

Frowning a bit, he interrupted her. "You know about him…?" he asked. His voice sounded a little uncertain.

"Sorta…" she replied as she also relaxed.

Lifting the bounty, he stared at it with some surprise. "I see…" he whispered.

"Umm…" she started to say.

However, he looked up at her coldly again. "We should get started hunting those bounties…" he said in a cold voice as he again stuffed the bounty in his pocket and brushed past her.

Frowning, she turned to watch him leave before sighing and following. Had she really expected him to tell her anything again? Nate looked up at them from his spot on the deck. "You going for the bounties?" he asked Nami.

"Un…Will you be alright here by yourself?" she asked.

"Aa…I'll be fine now that I have these…" he said as he smiled and patted his new crutches.

Also smiling, Nami nodded. "Alright." she replied.

"Now would be good…"

Frowning, she turned to D who was glaring at her. Sighing, she turned towards the room. "Let me get the posters…" she said as she went in to get them.

Coming back out, she looked up to see his impatient expression as his arms were crossed. Then he turned and jumped over the rail. Walking up, she then made her way down as she rolled her eyes at Nate with a smile. Chuckling, he watched her disappear over the side before leaning back with a smile.

Making their way into town, she waited for him to sniff out the scents around them. She had noticed when they first approached that the island was small and not much wilderness. Frowning as she walked through the town now, she wondered how Luffy was going to continue training if there wasn't any where to train. Glancing to D's back, her frown deepened. Her mind then wandered to the poster in his pocket. He hadn't allowed her to ask what she had wanted to ask.

Sighing, she closed her eyes and lowered her gaze. She really wanted to know…However, she knew he would never answer her questions, so there was no reason to ask anyway. Suddenly, he stopped and she gasped as she almost ran into his back.

"Ah! W-What is it?" she asked as she looked up at him.

Chuckling, D grinned deviously as he stepped forward slightly. Frowning, Nami then heard some shouting coming from in front of them. Peering around him, she watched as a man was running in their direction. "Ah!" she exclaimed.

As he got closer, D quickly sprint forward and clothes lined the man, sending him hard and straight down to the ground. The back of his neck hit the ground while his legs flew into the air. Chuckling and with a chilling smirk, D stared down at the man with wide, wild eyes.

"Gah!" exclaimed the man as he hit the ground. Then he fell unconscious from the air being knocked out of him and the hard blow to the back of his neck.

Gasping, Nami quickly moved back and then looked down at the man. He was one of the bounties they were trying to catch. "Oh!" she exclaimed in surprise.

"Oi! That's our bounty head!"

Slowly blinking with an amused smirk, D slowly looked up at the approaching bounty hunters, who immediately stopped in their tracks as soon as they laid eyes on him. "Mugiwara no Luffy…" one of them said in astonishment.

Chuckling, he turned fully to them slowly. "Your bounty…? Looks like he's mine now…" said D in a low, but slightly amused voice. However, Nami recognized the sharp edge in his tone.

"Why you…! Like hell! We've been chasing him all day!" yelled one of the bounty hunters.

"Yeah! And what the hell do you want with a bounty?!" yelled the second one.

Losing his smirk, he stared at them in what it seemed was boredom, ignoring the crowd that was beginning to gather around them with interest. "Is that really Mugiwara…?" One onlooker asked another.

"He doesn't have a hat…" remarked another.

"There are too many people…We should go…" whispered Nami nervously as she looked around at everyone.

"Damn…he's already causing trouble…"

"Aa…we should contact Captain Jin…"

Nodding, the first man quickly stood from his crouched position and began to run, the second marine following him.

Turning to her, he gave her a cold glare before turning and grabbing the bounty's shirt collar and beginning to drag him. "Oi! You son of a bitch! Where the hell do you think you're going with our bounty?!"

Turning, Nami regarded the man nervously as she shook her head violently at him, hoping maybe he would just let it go. However, that was not to be. He run up and grabbed D's shoulder to stop him. Gasping, Nami looked up at him with wide, fear filled eyes. "Don't!" she cried, but it was already too late.

Reaching behind him, D grabbed the man's hand, breaking his fingers and then threw him over his shoulder. "Aah!!" cried the man in pain as he landed on his back and immediately grabbed his mangled hand.

"Baku!!" yelled the second bounty hunter. Then he turned a scowl on D. "Why you…bastard!!" he yelled as he pulled out a knife and threw it at D.

D moved his head to the side and caught the knife with his hand. However, the blade pierced his skin. Shuddering from the feel of the slight pain, he then began to chuckle as he dropped the knife. Bringing his hand to his face, he then smirked wide as he slowly licked the blood seeping from the fresh cut on his hand.

"What the…?" questioned the man quietly. He hadn't realized that the Mugiwara he had seen in the poster was crazy…

"Please don't do this…" whispered Nami as she cautiously approached him.

Without looking at her, he chuckled nastily again. "Ah, but they started it…" he said in a nasty voice.

Gasping, as he disappeared from where he had been standing, she quickly turned to the hunter, whom D already had in a neck hold against the building. "No, don't!" she cried as her eyes widened. People began to scream and run away from the scene. The braver ones in the crowd only ran a safe distance and turned to continue watching.

"Did you think you could win against me?" said D with amusement in his voice.

"Guh! Let me go!!" choked the man he had a hold of.

"Let you go? Oh but this is your game you started…You gonna start something…and then not finish it?" asked D in a rough, but still amused voice. Reaching up a finger, he drew a line of his blood down the man's face.

"Gah!" exclaimed the man as he tried to move his head away from him.

Finally standing, the first man then made a run for D. Gasping, Nami turned to the first man in some worry. However, the man didn't get much of a chance. Thrusting out his elbow just in time without turning, he elbowed the man in the gut. "Guh…!" the shocked man sunk to the ground with wide eyes in surprise.

"Please stop this!" begged Nami.

"Gargh! You should…really…listen…to your…woman…" choked the man as he scowled down at D.

Gasping, Nami frowned. "You really shouldn't talk! You'll just make things worse!" she exclaimed.

Nodding and giving a thoughtful smile as he raised his brows, D turned slightly to Nami then looked at the man in his false thoughtfulness. "You should really listen to the woman…" he said as he began to laugh nastily. Then he pulled the man away from the building and slammed him against it hard.

"Gah!" yelled the man as he coughed up blood. Nami made a slight noise as she closed her eyes and turned away.

Then D pulled him down slightly and slammed a fist into his face. Nami cringed when she heard the cracking and then gushing noise of the blood. She brought her hands to her ears and clenched her eyes shut tighter. It was horrible, his laughter, the sounds he was causing and the pain.

"Oh my God…He's insane!" exclaimed a woman as she began to run.

"Run! Mugiwara is here!" yelled another man as people began to scream and run.

"No…no…" whispered Nami as tears came to her eyes. "Don't fear him…" she continued to whisper to herself. "Luffy…."

xxxx

Staring out ahead of him, Luffy sat on Sunny's figure head. His expression was thoughtful and quite serious. He had always figured Nami just didn't know how to have fun and that was why she always got after them. Maybe that was still the case. However, he had seen how nice N was…Was it possible that Nami could be that nice too? Was it just that, as N put it, that they were just out of control? Nami seemed to mainly lose her temper with him. She was constantly yelling at him, hitting him, or something like that. Or maybe…it was just that…he liked the attention she gave him? It seemed it was the only time she seemed to really notice him at all…

Well, that and how worried she always was for him during a fight. Hearing her scream his name always gave him a rush. It always made him believe he could beat anyone, do anything. He felt pretty lost when she wasn't around. It seemed he needed her to do more than just navigate his ship…Frowning, he drooped a bit as his gaze lowered.

"Luffy?"

Blinking a bit, he turned to look down below him. L was looking back up at him with a gentle smile. Luffy had been expecting that. "Wanna talk about it?" he asked.

Staring down at him a little longer, Luffy finally nodded. Reaching up, L pulled himself onto Sunny's head and sat down next to him. That sat in silence for quite some time. "I'm sorry that I spoke to N that way…" said Luffy after awhile. He really needed to get that out of the way. For an instant, he had forgotten she was N and not Nami, and that she was someone else's woman, which meant, he should not have raised his voice to her.

Smiling, L turned to him. Then he shook his head. "I realize that everyone is going through a lot right now. I know neither of you meant any harm to one another." he replied.

Face still serious, Luffy then nodded as he looked away. "I think maybe…she was right though…" he said.

Frowning a bit, L turned to look ahead of him as well. "Maybe…maybe not…I think…Nami will accept you for who you are. If she really loved you, she would accept you whole-heartedly. You are willing to do that for her, aren't you? Even though she always gets mad at you, you still care about her, right?" he asked in a calm and quiet voice.

"Of course I do…" replied Luffy with a slight pout, but then lost it as he sighed.

Nodding, L smiled at the horizon. "I thought so." he said.

"But that's easy for you to say…You're always so calm and nice and…quiet…" said Luffy as he pouted a bit.

Chuckling softly, L turned to look at him. "That shouldn't matter Luffy…If it was meant to be, then it was meant to be…" he said.

"Then what if it wasn't _meant_ to be…?" whispered Luffy as he drooped and his expression turned sad.

Frowning, L stared at Luffy for a long while. "You have strong feelings for her, don't you?" he asked.

"Of course I do…" replied Luffy. "Gah!" he exclaimed as a hand made contact with the back of his head. "What the hell was that for?!" he screamed at L.

"Because…you're moping! If you want Nami, then you take her! Don't give her a choice! Show her _you_ are the man for her! You know better than that! Why are you still even worried!?" yelled L as he frowned at Luffy.

Blinking at him in surprise, he then shifted his eyes to the side and then back to him, still wide eyed. Then he seemed to blink as he furrowed his brows as if he thought, 'Oh yeah…'

"Anyways…don't worry about it…Everything will work out…if it was meant to." he said as he placed a hand on Luffy's shoulder and squeeze it hard. Then he stood up. "Just remember that, okay?"

Nodding, Luffy kept his gaze to the ground as he thought about his words. He _would_ have to remember that. Smiling, L jumped down, leaving Luffy to his thoughts.

Sitting on deck, both Zoro and Z sat quietly as they tended to their swords. Zoro bobbed his powder ball over his blade, while Z used the rice paper and oil on his. Not minding at all, Zoro shared his cleaning kit. Everyone else seemed to be elsewhere, so both sat in contented silence. However, Z suddenly lowered his sword as he stared out ahead of him.

"We're the same…but yet…not the same…" he said.

Blinking, Zoro looked over at him in question. "Eh?"

"Our crews…" he replied.

Seeming to understand what he was saying, Zoro gave a thoughtful expression as he closed his eyes. "Aa…we are…" he finally replied.

"Why _do_ you two fight all the time?" asked Z.

Shrugging, Zoro opened his eyes and continued to bob the powder ball against his blade. "It's fun getting under his skin…" he said. Then he stopped and glanced up, but didn't turn to him. "How come you don't…?" he asked.

Also shrugging, Z lifted his sword and began to move the rice paper over it again. "No reason to…" he replied.

"You don't get on each other's nerves." he stated.

Shaking his head and also giving the thoughtful expression, Z continued his work on his words. "Nope…not really…" he said.

"You all get a long really well…" stated Zoro again.

Nodding, Z then turned to him. "You all seem to get a long well too…Just a little bumpy here and there. You would still protect one another…Whether you get on each other's nerves or not…Luffy is still important to you…" he said.

Nodding as well, Zoro looked down at his sword. "Aa…he is…and I would…" he said.

Also turning back to his sword, he stared at it awhile in thoughtfulness. "We seem to mimic our captains." he said.

Pausing slightly, Zoro also thought about it. They did mimic their captains. One Luffy was mature, therefore, so was his crew. He was also patient, therefore, so was his crew. The other was wild and fun-loving, therefore, so was his crew, he enjoyed adventure and tended to get himself into trouble, therefore…so did his crew. He was also impatient…and so were they. Pursing his lips slightly as he thought about it, he gave a small nod.

"Aa…we do…" he agreed.

"Chain reaction…" said Z.

Nodding in agreement, Zoro continued his work on his sword. "Aa…" he replied.

Sighing and closing her eyes, N sat back into the hot water, feeling herself begin to relax. After L had told her he would talk to Luffy, she had decided a bath would help to calm her. She had frowned when she saw them both sitting on the figure head, but she knew L would handle it. She still couldn't believe she had lost her temper like that. It had been a really long time since the last time that had happened.

Leaning her head back, she took a few more deep and slow breaths. The time that they have been there was stressful and frustrating. L had again stopped finding ways to see her…everyone seemed to be becoming more and more depressed…and when Nami came to see them…it upped everyone's anxiety and frustration.

Luffy seemed to be trying harder to ignore just how troubled he was by getting into more things and being more boisterous than usual. Being already quite agitated and stressed out from everything and L's lack of attention…she had finally lashed out at them…and at him…Frowning sadly, she slid further into the water to just below her nose. She hadn't meant to yell at him, and she felt really bad that she had. Because of her, she had made him sad…again…She seemed to be really good at causing him pain and sadness…not something she wanted to do…

She really hoped that he wasn't mad at her…or disappointed. Sighing again, she sat up as she grabbed a wash cloth and began to lather it with soap. Kneeling in the water, she brought the cloth to her chest and began to scrub in slow circles, sliding it up her throat as well. Sighing, she then ran the cloth over her breasts and down her stomach that was above the water. Bringing it back up, she moved it across her arm as she pulled it out of the water. Then she reached behind her and began to scrub her back.

After scrubbing her other arm, she sat back into the water and lifted a leg out from it. Setting her foot against the tub, she then began to run the soapy cloth slowly down her leg. After her body was clean, she then began to wash her hair, scrubbing her scalp as she did. Then she leaned completely back, slowly lowering her head into the water to rinse. Coming back out again, she reached up and ran her hands through her hair as she rinsed it off.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Gasping, she sat up and looked towards it. "Nami…?"

Blinking, she stared at the door. "Luffy…" she said.

"Aa…"

Breathing a bit of a laugh, she rolled her eyes. Hearing her laughter, L smiled. "Your Luffy…" he said.

Standing up, she stepped out of the tub and not caring that she was wet, walked over to the door. "W-What is it?" she asked as she stopped just before getting to the door.

Losing his smile, he sighed deeply as his gaze lowered. "I…wanted…to say that I was sorry…" he said.

"Sorry…? For what?" she asked as she frowned slightly. Then she gave a thoughtful expression. "H-How was…your talk with…um…Luffy…?" she asked.

"It went okay…He was just…thoughtful is all…I mean…we talked a bit…and then I left him to his thoughts…I think he just has a little reevaluation to do…" he said.

Nodding, she then frowned. "So then…he wasn't mad at me…?" she asked as she also lowered her gaze.

"No, of course not." he replied.

Sighing in relief, she smiled softly. "I see…" she replied. Then she looked up as she lost her smile. "Luffy…why are you apologizing…?" she asked.

Expression turning slightly sad, he closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against the door. "Because…I haven't been…spending any time with you…still…like I had promised…When…I noticed your frustration…and…how stressed you were…it…made me sad…I haven't been there for you…" he said as he then slowly reached up and placed a palm flat on the door, as if…he could feel her on the other side.

Frowning sadly, she stepped up to the door and also leaned her forehead onto it. "I…It's alright…" she said.

"No…no it's not…I made a promise…and I didn't keep it…but…" he started to say. Then he slowly opened his eyes. "I felt guilty…"

Frowning, she blinked a few times. "Guilty…?" she asked.

"Aa…I felt…guilty that…I had you…but…he didn't have her…and that it's kind of my fault they are in this situation..." he said.

Closing her eyes, she then reached up her hand and placed it on the door. "Luffy…" she whispered.

"When we were alone…it troubled me…I constantly thought of him and how, even though he seemed happy…he wasn't." he said. Turning around, he leaned against the door and slid down it to sit. "I'm really sorry Nami…" he almost whispered.

"Luffy…" she said again as she also sat down on her knees, keeping her hand and forehead against the door.

Her heart ached, knowing he was just on the other side, but some how, at that moment, seemed untouchable. She knew she could get up and get dressed and open that door and he'd be there…but for some reason, she felt, that wasn't something she could do. He was basically telling her that he didn't want to spend time alone with her. He did, but he couldn't, at least, not until they fixed this problem and got Nami back. She knew this because…he would have chosen another time to tell her this. When there wasn't a door in the way.

Furrowing her brows, she took an irritated breath. Getting up quickly, she put her clothes on and then walked up to the door. This wasn't something she could accept, at least, not like this. As soon as she opened the door, he gasped and fell over backwards.

"Ah!" he exclaimed as he landed flat on his back. "Na…" he stopped short as his eyes widened. He had a perfect view up her skirt. "…mi…" he finished.

"I can't accept this…" she said as she frowned down at him.

Also frowning, he sat up and turned to her. "Nami…?" he questioned.

"I understand how you feel…I feel the same way…I feel guilty too…but I love you Luffy…You're right though…It doesn't feel right that we are happy when we have one another, but they don't…So, okay…I understand that he needs everyone right now, which includes you. I'm alright with that…However…you owe me…" she said as she narrowed her eyes slightly.

Eyes wide, he blinked at her a few times. "Owe…you…?" he asked uncertain.

"That's right…Owe me…" she said as she smirked at him.

"O-kay…What do I owe you…?" he asked a bit nervous of her reply.

"When we get back home…we're getting married right away…I don't care if we go to the court office to do it…I'm not waiting any longer for your Jii-chan to decide he's ready to attend our wedding. I don't care that a big wedding is expected of us…We're getting married as soon as we get back. Got it?" she said as she crossed her arms with a deep frown.

Blinking at her a few more times with his eyes wide, he then felt himself smile slowly. Then he stood up, walked into her, wrapping an arm around her as he pulled her to him, and took her lips almost forcefully with his. Responding in kind, she wrapped her arms around him as she stepped further into him. Finally pulling away after awhile, she then hugged him to her tightly.

"I don't want to wait anymore Luffy…I want you…I love you…and I miss you…When we aren't on our ship and instead on land…I miss you so much when we aren't together…I want to be with you at all times…"she whispered.

Closing his eyes slowly, he squeezed her tighter. They had made a promise that they would marry before taking one another. It was important to him to be a gentleman about it and what he just felt was right. "Alright…" he finally said softly.

Pulling away, she looked him in the eyes with slightly wide eyes before she smiled. Then she laughed as she leaned up slightly, kissing him. "Thank you…" she said against his lips.

Placing his forehead on hers, he then reached up and ran a hand over her still damp hair. "Of course, Nami…I love you too…and I miss you too. You're right…I don't want to wait any more either. I want to be with you." he said.

Feeling tears come to her eyes, she then began to giggle. "Oh, I love you so much…" she whispered as her arms remained tightly around his torso.

Leaning down, he kissed her again and then looked into her face. "Ready to go back to the others?" he asked.

Leaning forward, she groaned a bit, but laughed as she buried her face into his chest. "No…" she said with a bit of a giggle.

Chuckling, he squeezed her tight. "Come…" he said softly as he smiled down at her.

Groaning again, she then went limp in his arms as she giggled again. "I don't want to…" she said.

Beginning to laugh, he was forced to hold her up. "Oi!" he exclaimed. Still laughing, he then had to drag her out of the bathroom.

"N-o!" she said as she laughed and was pulled out of the bathroom, both laughing.

xxxx

After D had made quick work of the bounty hunters, Nami had asked a man to turn the bounty in for them. After he had brought them the money, they returned to the ship. Fortunately, he hadn't killed the hunters. As soon as she made it to the ship, she put the money away. Coming back out, she went straight to the kitchen to make lunch. Nate was there, sitting at the table.

"How'd it go?" he asked.

"We were able to get one of the bounties…" she said with a bit of an edge.

"And…?" he asked, knowing there was more.

Sighing, she turned to him. "We ended up stealing him from some bounty hunters…" she said with a deep frown.

Breaking into a laugh, he slammed his palm onto the table. "Stole him?! Ha! That's interesting. What happened?" he asked.

Sighing a second time, she closed her eyes and turned to chop the vegetables. "Well, the bounty was being chased…and he just…knocked him out…but the hunters chasing him wouldn't let us have him…naturally…" she explained.

"Of course, naturally…" replied Nate with humor in his voice.

"So…he…beat them up…" she said.

"Nice…" replied Nate with a grin. He found this very amusing.

Sighing again, she turned pursed lips on him. His smile only widened. Not being able to help herself, she smiled back before turning back to her cooking. "It was horrible though…People recognized him…" she said.

"Oh?" he questioned as he lost his smile.

"Un…I don't want people to fear him…or to see Luffy like that…because he's not. But of course…he wouldn't stop…" she said quietly.

"I see…I guess that's not so good…" he said with a bit of a frown.

"No…it's not…" she said with a frown as she continued to chop.

After dinner, she allowed D to do the clean up. Leaving the kitchen, she made her way to her room, deciding to start on a map for the new island. After about two hours of sketching, she stood up and made her way to the kitchen. She found she was hungry and a fruit snack seemed like a good idea. However, as she reached the door and looked in through the small round window, she stopped immediately. D was sitting at the kitchen table, slumped over slightly.

As she focused further on him, she could see that his arm was moving slightly in a fluid motion. '_Is he writing something_…?' She thought to herself. She remembered his reaction from the last time she had snuck in on him. However, she was just too curious as to what he was doing. It was the only way she would ever find out, because he would never let her see otherwise. If she just walked in, he would end up hiding whatever it was he was doing.

Silently opening the door, she stealthily made her way to him. Careful as to not alert him to her presence, she peered over his shoulder. Her eyes widened when she saw what it was. Taking a step back, she stared at his back. '_Oh my God_...' she thought to herself as she felt her heart beginning to pound a bit. She had a feeling she knew exactly what that meant. Perking slightly, he then turned to her, her smell finally reaching his nose. Her eyes were still wide as she stared at his back.

At her expression, his face turned into a deep frown in displeasure. "You have a really bad habit of not minding your own damn business woman…" he said in a low voice.

"I'm sorry…I was just…curious. I knew…you would never tell me, but I wanted to know…I want to know…about you…" she said in a quiet voice. Setting aside the picture she just saw, a bit to scared to know the answer, if he gave one, her expression turned thoughtful.

"I already said it was none of your damn business!" he yelled as he stuffed the crumpled piece of paper in his pocket.

"About…the bounty…" she started.

"That's none of your business either!" he yelled, getting angry.

"But you looked so surprised to see it…Why? Don't you know who he is?" she asked.

Blinking a bit, he then furrowed his brows before looking away. "No…not really…" he replied.

Gasping, her eyes widened. "You…don't…" she started to say, but the words couldn't find there way out of her mouth.

At her response, his frown deepened as he turned to her. "You act as if I'm supposed to know who he is…" he said.

"Why…why were you so…surprised then…?" she whispered in confusion.

"I've seen him before…he…was the reason I…" he started to say. His voice and expression seemed so far away. However, he seemed to snap out of it as he frowned and turned to her again. "He's dead anyway! What the hell does it matter?!" he yelled in an angry voice.

Nami's eyes opened wide as she inhaled slowly. "Dead…" she breathed in disbelief.

"Yes, dead! He died…It doesn't matter how…Gah!" he exclaimed in annoyance as he grabbed his head. "It doesn't matter!" he yelled.

"It matters…That man…That man…is…really important to him…His hero…" she whispered. When she had asked about where he was…she had hopes about him. That maybe…there was hope to bring him back from his darkness… '_Dead_…_The Shanks from his world is dead_...' she thought with a frown.

Scowling, he stepped forward toward her. "What the hell do I care about _him_!?" he yelled.

"Please…tell me…How did he die?" she asked in a soft voice.

He stared at her for a long while before he scoffed. "He died…trying to save me and my brother from the lab facility we were in…" he said in a low voice, but still with his frown.

Parting her lips, she exhaled heavily at that knowledge. Then she perked at the mention of his brother. "Your brother…That picture…it was a very good drawing of him…but…he looked…so young…He saved you both, right? Where is your brother?" she asked.

His expression turned dark, darker than she had ever seen it. "No…no he didn't save us both…My brother was already dead…He had died only a few weeks after we had been brought into that facility…I had been there for _years_…_Years_! They fucking lied to me…Those sick assholes told me I could _see_ him! _He was already fucking dead_!!" he screamed.

Gasping, a hand flew to her mouth as she took a step back as her eyes went wide. Then tears formed in her eyes. "Oh my God…" she breathed.

Taking another step towards her, his expression hadn't changed from it's dark, foreboding state. "Those fucking bastards thought it would be a brilliant idea to infuse an eleven year old boy with _fire_. _Fire_! _He fucking burned to death_!! I can see it…I can see it in my mind…I can see it every time I see fire…I can see him…screaming in pain…screaming for help…Help that never came…" he said in a low, deathly, chilling voice.

Shaking her head, a tear escaped as she continued to step back. "I-I don't understand…Why…? Why did that happen? Why didn't your grandfather do anything - ?" she started to ask.

However, he interrupted her. "_Don_'_t ever mention that fucking bastard to me_!!" he screamed in a voice so full of hatred and anger that a shiver ran down her spine. "If I ever see him…I will kill him…" he said in a much calmer voice. However, he had the worst smirk she had ever seen on his face. His eyes were so wild…and crazy.

More tears fell from her eyes as she continued to take steps back from his approaching ones. Then she shook her head. She was beginning to understand him more and more…to understand his pain…She jumped slightly when he began to laugh. A wall finally blocked her from moving any further back from him. He came close to her face as he laughed.

"You want to hear something funny…even more pathetic…?" he asked as he leaned next to her ear. "That's not all…There's more…" he whispered in a mocking tone of voice.

Shivering, she closed her eyes as the tears spilled from her lashes. Then she frowned. "Why did Shanks try to save you…if you didn't know him?" she asked.

Pulling away from her, his expression turned into a frown. "I don't know…He said he worked for some man named Dragon…" he said.

Gasping, her eyes flew open as she looked up at him. "Dragon…" she whispered.

"Aa…Dragon…I know about him…and what he's trying to do…I don't know what he wanted with us though…" he said.

"Dragon…Dragon is your father…" she said as she furrowed her brows at him. She blinked at the expression he wore.

His face had completely lost color as sweat formed on his brow. Taking a few steps back, he seemed to stumble a bit. "My…father…" he whispered so inaudibly. His eyes shifted from side to side as he blinked, his hand slowly rising to his head.

"We just…recently found that out…ourselves…even Luffy…His…um…grandfather told him…" she said cautiously.

Frowning deeply, he looked at her as color began to return to him. "So he's still on talking terms with the bastard, is he?" he said more than asked.

"S-Sorta…Not…Not really…I mean…They…don't get a long all that well…He's a marine…and Luffy's a pirate…so…" she explained nervously.

Narrowing his eyes, he glared at her for awhile. "He's a dog of the government…The same fucking bastards responsible for what happened to us…He didn't lift a damn finger to do anything for us when we were taken…" he said in a bit of a growl.

She gasped as her eyes widened again. "Oh my God…" she whispered. "No…no…he wouldn't have…I don't think…I mean…" she stuttered as she sunk to the ground.

"_He_-_didn_'_t_-_do_-_a_-_damn_-_thing_!!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. "No matter how many times I called for him, he never _fucking_ came!!" he continued as his breathing became heavy. Then he pointed a finger at her. "I know he knew…I know he knew…He knew everything that happened…He knew we were there…He knew it…but he _never came_!!" he screamed. Then he began to laugh. "A man…a man I didn't even know…sacrificed his life for mine…A man…I didn't even know…tried to save us…but he came too late…He tried…He did…but it wasn't enough…" he said quietly as he seemed too far gone.

She knew his mind was slipping again, but all she could do was stare at him in wide eyed disbelief as the tears continued to fall. His pain was so great, his betrayal, even greater.

"I was so scared…There were so many…When those words…reached my ears…" he whispered as his wide, wild eyes lowered to the ground. "Your brother is dead…He died only two weeks in…" he whispered before he smiled and lifted his hands as he shifted his wild eyes to them. "They had to pay…They had to pay for his death…for their lies…for their treachery…They had to die…" he said as he began to laugh quietly, maniacally.

Her eyes widened further in horror at his words. "Aah…" she breathed in disbelief as even more tears fell from her eyes.

"It was so easy…They were so weak…compared to me…Even…at that age…I remember it so well…I was only ten…I remember their screams…their cries…their cries for mercy…The mercy that was never offered to _him_…" he said in a dark and low voice. "The mercy that was never offered to me…" he whispered. His eyes fluttered a bit as he shifted his eyes down a bit. "Then I met that man…" he whispered. He turned his head slightly as his brows furrowed.

Then he began to pant loudly. "No…" he said as he looked at her. Shaking his head, his expression turned angry. "You bitch! It was none of your _fucking_ business!!" he yelled. Then he took a step towards her. "Stop crying!! Don't act like you _fucking_ care about me!!" he screamed before running out.

As soon as he left, she began to shake violently as loud sobs escaped her lips. She lay down on the ground and curled up as she cried loudly. His pain was so great…

Nate hugged the wall tightly as he ran past. He breathed heavily as he kept his gaze to the deck. He slowly closed his eyes as he swallowed hard. He had heard every word. Even though she hadn't told him what had made her cry the first time, he had had an idea. Now he knew, he knew what had made her cry that first time, and he knew what made her cry now. Only this time, he had heard with his own ears. Slightly turning towards the rail, he slowly opened his eyes. He knew he was gone and would most likely be gone for hours.

Shakily standing up with his crutches, he slowly made his way into the kitchen. "Nami…" he called softly.

However, she only curled further into herself as she cried loudly. Frowning sadly, he painfully and awkwardly lowered himself next to her and set his crutches down beside him. "Nami…" he called again as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Nami…it's alright…It's alright…Don't cry…" he said softly, trying to comfort her.

"No…No it's not!" she cried as she sobbed loudly. "Oh…my God!" she cried as she covered her face with her hands. "Ahah…" she sobbed loudly and painfully. The shaking refused to calm as she lay on the ground. Her heart ached so much for him. It hurt so much. The pain was so great…

**To Be Continued…**

**Author's Note: **Sobs Oh my God…so sad…Blows nose loudly Oh, where was I…? Oh right! Hey! XD I know, you all probably want to kill me right now. That's okay…CUZ I'M UNTOUCHABLE!! RAWR!! XD Anywho, pretty sad, huh? Yeah…I thought so too...Let me know whatcha thought, ne?! XD Oh! I forgot! When he told Nami about his past the first time, I had gotten the idea from the song Down With The Sickness by Disturbed! XD I think that song _totally_ describes D! XD You guys should check it out! XD Anyways, please review! I want to read your thoughts! XD

**P.S. **Sorry if the bath scene didn't seem like much…I tried…It's unfamiliar waters for me…XP


	14. Chapter 14: Early Confrontation

Crossed

**Author's Note: **Sorry! I know it took me a long time to come out with this chapter…I kept getting writer's block! TT However, I should come out with the next chapter faster. Maybe…I might be making a move soon…We might be moving into a bigger place. If that happens, I might be coming out with chapters a lot slower because I might have to go to work. We will see. I shouldn't get writer's block though from here on out! Hopefully…Anyways, I hope you all enjoy! Please review! I really like those! XD

**Crossed**

**Chapter 14: Early Confrontation**

"Captain Jin!"

Turning to the call, Jin frowned as one of his marines ran towards him. "Yes, what is it?"

"There's a call for you!"

Nodding, he turned and followed the marine to an office. "Here sir." said another marine as he handed him the receiver.

"Yes?" he asked as he talked into it. Then his brows furrowed. "I see…How bad is it?" he asked as he listened on the other end. Closing his eyes, he nodded to himself. "I see…Continue watching them. Report to me everything that happens."

Sighing, he hung up the den-den mushi before finally opening his eyes. "This is going to be hard to explain and cover up…" he whispered more to himself.

Both marines in the room frowned at his words.

"That bad, huh?"

Jin scoffed and turned to the voice with a slight smile. "Aa…that bad…He caused a huge ruckus in the middle of the next town…Frightened a hell of a lot of people…" he replied to Abel's question.

Frowning, Abel nodded. "I see…That is a problem…"

"Aa…it is…" he agreed.

xxxx

Reaching out a hand, Usopp kept his gaze on his work, expecting what he needed to touch his palm. When it did, he smiled and continued his work. U, Coby, and Chopper all watched excitedly, waiting for it to be finished.

"Is it almost complete?"

"A-lmost…"

All six eyes watched in awe with grins, anticipating it's completion as Usopp made the finishing touches. "Done!" he announced as he lifted it up for all to see.

"Ooo!" they all cooed as they eyed it with starry eyes.

"That's…incredible, Usopp-san…" said Coby as he grinned at it in awe.

"Wow…I wish I could build something as cool at this!" exclaimed U.

"That's so cool Usopp!" beamed Chopper with a massive grin.

Rubbing his index finger under his nose, Usopp nodded with a grin. "Aa! It is incredible, isn't it?!" he boasted as he then handed it to U.

U took it slowly with incredible awe, his eyes wide. "Wow…" he breathed out.

"I will make another one for you too Coby! Then we can all go fishing together!" exclaimed Usopp as he laughed and began work on a second rod.

"Awesome, Usopp-san! Thank you so much!" exclaimed Coby. Then he relaxed as he smiled and watched him work. "You guys seem like a lot of fun." he said.

"Aa…you really do! It's not this much fun back on our ship…" agreed U with a grin as he looked over his new rod. "I wish I had the time to make things like this…" he continued.

"Your captain is so cool too though! He's so serious and…and cool!" exclaimed Chopper.

"Aa, but your captain is so much fun! He's always playing with you guys and doing things with you! I wish our captain were more like that!" replied U.

"Aa, it would be fun!" agreed Coby. Then he frowned a bit. "Ours is always busy, or doing other things with Nami-san. He talks to us, but that's about it. Maybe fishing every now and then, but your captainis _always_ doing things with you guys! It's great!" he continued.

"Aa, but your captain is really smart! Ours is kind of an idiot…" said Usopp with a side-ways frown.

"Aa, and he's so mature!" added Chopper with a grin.

"Maybe, but it would be nice to have fun like you guys…" said U with a frown.

Both Usopp and Chopper looked to one another and then looked back at U and Coby. Then Chopper leaned forward and blinked his eyes. "So then…you don't like your captain?"

"N-N-No! No, of course we do!" exclaimed Coby.

"Aa! We do! He's done so much for us! He's great!" added U.

"Aa, that's right! It's just…it would be nice if he would have fun with us too…every now and then…" said Coby.

Both blinked as they stared at them.

Standing flush against the wall, L stared down at the ground with a frown. '_Fun_…?' he thought to himself. Turning, he began to make his way back to the deck.

"Yo!"

Blinking, L raised his head to the call below. Picking up his pace, he made his way back down to the deck. Everyone else also came out from their places to greet the voice. Jin climbed over the rail from the large rope that connected their ships.

"Jin!" called Luffy as he grinned and waved.

Grinning in return, Jin made his way to them. However, it didn't last as it turned into a smaller smile. "I come with news…" he said quietly.

"News?" asked L as he made it to them.

"Aa…about _him_…" replied Jin.

"Please…won't you come to the dining room? Dinner was about to be served…" said N with a frown, of course knowing it was bad news he brought with him.

"Thank you. I'd love to." he said as he gave her an appreciative smile.

As soon as they all sat down, both Sanji's began to serve the food. Once served, everyone began to eat in relative silence, except for Luffy, who ate in his usual manner, Usopp and Chopper fighting over the food.

"So…what news do you bring?" asked L, finally breaking the almost silence.

Pausing in his meal, Jin glanced up to L and frowned. "Bad news…of course, but you were expecting that." he replied.

"Aa, we were…" answered L as he watched him.

Nodding, he set down his fork. "It seems he's caused some trouble on the next island…Stole a bounty from some hunters quite forcefully, made a huge ruckus with the towns' folk. They believe him insane…" he said as he turned to look at Luffy. "They believe _you_ insane…" he continued.

Stopping with meat just inches from his mouth, Luffy blinked and looked up at him. "Ah…?" he questioned with his mouth full.

"What?!" exclaimed N as her eyes widened.

"And that was just as he arrived there…Who knows what other trouble he might cause…" he explained with a frown. Then he sighed and looked down. "There…was also a report of Nami helping the smaller guy down the street to a doctor's office…From what my men could tell, his leg had been injured…"

"What?!" exclaimed both L and Luffy as both stood up.

"Nami…was Nami okay?!" asked Luffy, looking in a panic.

"Aa…she was fine…or so she looked." replied Jin with a frown.

"That…bastard…He must have found out…" seethed Luffy.

"Aa…he must have wanted to teach Da-Nate a lesson…" said L quietly, but angrily.

"How horrible…" whispered N as she lowered her gaze.

Luffy then began to growl, which became louder the angrier his face became and the harder he clenched and bared his teeth. "Ahh!" he cried out as he slammed his fist down onto the table. "He better not have hurt her! I'll kick his ass a million times over!" he screamed angrily.

"I will gladly add to that number…" seethed L deathly quietly.

"Please stop!" cried N as she brought her hands to her head and lowered it toward the table. She then began to cry quietly.

"Ah!" both exclaimed as they seemed to immediately calm down.

"Nami! I'm sorry! Please don't cry!" exclaimed L as he immediately went to her.

Blinking in silence, the entire crew stared at them in wide eyed shock. "What the hell…?" whispered Zoro as he furrowed his brow at them.

"Nami, please don't cry….I'm sorry…" said L as he leaned over her in a hug.

Blinking a bit, Luffy glanced down at his fist with wide eyes. He had been really angry just now. Sitting down slowly, he lifted a hand to his head. Perhaps he was more stressed out than he first thought. Glancing up to N, who was barely calming down at L's soft insistence, he frowned further. Perhaps they all were…

xxxx

Storming into the town with an angry scowl, many turned and ran in fear of him as he made his way through. Ignoring them all, he cursed to himself, grabbing at his head. Stopping, he then rapidly and randomly turned around, but then turned again, as if unsure of his direction.

"What the hell was that?! I can't believe I said all of that! Stupid bitch!" he exclaimed to himself allowed, uncaring to any who may have heard him.

Turning in the opposite direction, he continued into town, not knowing where his feet carried him and not really caring. He had spilled almost everything of his past to her. He had been so angry that he had just started ranting to her. Everything she had said, only seemed to have fueled his rage, about his grandfather, his savior, his brother, and now his father. Stopping in his tracks, some of her words found their way back into his head. _"Your brother…That picture…it was a very good drawing of him…but…he looked…so young…"_ His eyes widened as he inhaled sharply. '_Young_…?' Quickly turning back to the ship, his eyes widened further. Then he quickly turned and darted ahead.

Pushing people out of his way, he ran into the bounty office from before. Making his way to the front desk, he slammed his palm onto it. "Give me every single bounty you have!" he said down to the frightened girl.

"A-Alright!" she replied, frightened of the terrifying man. Leaning down, she brought up a large stack of bounties, and placed them on her desk.

Grabbing a hold of the large stack of papers, he slid them to him and began to frantically flip through each one. About half way through, he froze as he inhaled sharply. Reaching out, he carefully lifted the paper up as his eyes widened and sweat beaded down his face. His face paled of any color as he stared down at its image. Turning, he quickly made his way out and back to the ship.

Quickly jumping aboard, he stormed to the kitchen, throwing open the door. Both jumping, Nate and Nami quickly turned to the door. Blinking and tears still falling from her eyes, she then frowned at him. Walking in, he reached out the bounty to just in front of her face. Gasping, she leaned back away from the close image before blinking at it.

"He's alive…" he stated.

Eyes widening, she stared at the image of Ace on the poster. Then her expression softened as she lowered her gaze. "Yes, he is…" she replied quietly.

Pulling the poster back slowly, he then turned it to look at it. "Y-You've met him…?" he asked as his expression softened.

Glancing up at his quiet question, her eyes then widened at his expression. Then hers returned to one of sadness. "Yes…I have…" she replied.

He stared at the poster for a long while. She watched him awhile, before she blinked and tilted her head. "He…He has the ability…to use fire…" she said cautiously.

Gasping, his eyes widened as he looked at her. "What did you say…?" he asked.

"He ate the Mera Mera no Mi…He has the ability to use and control fire…" she repeated. Staring at her wide eyed, his breath began to quicken, and then he looked back down at the bounty. "I-I actually couldn't believe it when you said…he had…burned to death…seeing as fire is his ability…" she continued with caution.

He stared at her wide eyed for the longest while before finally looking back down at the poster. "Fire…" he whispered to himself. "Why…?" he continued to whisper as he stared at the poster.

"W-We…saw him…not to long ago…" she said quietly.

Turning to look at her, his brows furrowed into a frown. Then he slowly turned back to the poster and stared at it for the longest time. "What's he like…?" he whispered. He knew he should_ not_ be asking this, but he was just too curious. He had to know.

"Ace? Um…he's…." she stuttered, not having expected that question. Then she had to try and remember what he was like. "Well…he's a lot like…Luffy…I mean he's….very lax…Umm…indolent…really…He's very…unrestrained…spontaneous…free spirited…but still a little more proper than Luffy is…I guess…he's also nice…He looks out for his brother…uh…" she said, not sure she should have gone that far.

However, she perked as her eyes widened when his expression turned more soft and sad as he stared at the poster. Then hers returned again to sadness. She couldn't imagine his pain. She only knew it caused her pain as well. However, his expression suddenly turned cold again with a frown as he turned to look at her.

"Don't give me that look of pity…Your supposed sympathy is wasted…and not needed, woman…" he said in a cold voice.

Nami closed her eyes and looked away from him, her sad frown still in place. Scoffing, he then turned and walked out. Drooping, she then slowly turned to the door.

"His brother is still alive here?" asked Nate with a frown.

"Un…" she replied.

"That's gotta suck for him…" he said as he also turned to the door.

"Yeah…it does…"

'_Fire_!' he thought to himself as he scowled. '_Why is he still alive here_?! _Why can he control it here_?! Why _couldn't he have been able to control it there_?!' he continued as he growled to himself and began to pace the deck sporadically. Stopping at the rail, he leaned onto it as he stared down at the water below. "Why can't he be alive…?" he whispered to himself.

xxxx

Looking around, Luffy jumped down to the ground below and walked away from the ship. They had just landed on the newest island and he could feel great anxiety. Nami was here somewhere on this very island. They had all decided it best to dock away from the main harbor. It was best _he_ not know they were there. As long as they stayed out of his way, everything should be okay.

"Oi, don't go off on your own Luffy…" said Usopp as he peered over the side. "N said we gotta stick together." he continued as he began to climb down.

Sighing, Luffy closed his eyes. Then he turned to the sharp shooter. "I know…"

Jumping down, Usopp looked around in excitement. "Uwah! It's huge!" he exclaimed in excitement.

Turning, Luffy took another glance around. "There's no wilderness…" he mumbled quietly.

Also taking a second glance, Usopp lost his smile. "Aa…there isn't…"

"That could be a problem…"

Both looked up as L jumped down to them. Then he too looked around. "They've pretty much taken up the entire island…There's no way we can train here…" he said with a frown.

Drooping, Luffy turned to the town with a frown. "But I need to train more…" he said quietly. They only had about a week and a half left, give or take a few days, before he wanted to seek out his other self. He knew he still had a long way to go.

Also frowning, L approached and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I know…We both do…Maybe…" He started before sighing, not sure how much he could put into these words. "Maybe…we will find a way…"

Turning to him, Luffy looked doubtful. That last day they trained might have been the last day they could have trained. Frowning, he turned back to the town and felt himself becoming angry. No matter what, he _had_ to get Nami back. He couldn't bear it any longer. He only hoped his other self hadn't touched or harmed a hair on her head. He wanted more than anything to go out and look for her, just to see her.

"Hey you three, wait for us!"

All three turned to see N looking over the side with a frown. L smiled up at her. "We're not going anywhere."

As if satisfied, she nodded and disappeared back over the side, and then threwover the rail, "You both should get into your disguises."

L grinned and nodded to himself. "Aa!" he replied as he turned back to Luffy, but then inhaled sharply. He turned around, looking a few times before his expression turned nervous. "Luffy!"

Blinking, Usopp turned around and then his eyes bugged. "E-h?!"

Coming back to the rail quickly, N about fell over the side. "What is-?! Oh no!" she cried when she saw that Luffy was no longer there. "He was just there!"

Clenching his teeth, L looked around, but to no avail. "Luffy…" he whispered to himself as his expression turned pained and concerned.

Out of breath, Luffy kept himself glued to the wall as he panted. "I'm sorry…" he whispered when he heard L call out his name.

However, he really needed to see that she was okay. He just had to be careful as to not be spotted by his other self. He wouldn't even try to make contact this time. Quickly getting off the wall, he ran down the road looking around for her. However, the further into the town he got, the weirder the vibe he got from the townspeople. Blinking, he looked around at everyone and noticed they all looked at him funny or tried to quickly make their way away from him.

Even so, he didn't have the time to worry about it. Soon the others would be looking for him. He looked around, hoping to see her, but then was distracted by a certain scent. Stopping, his mouth watered as he lifted his nose into the air and inhaled deeply of it's juicy, delicious scent. Stomach grumbling, he licked his lips as he found the source of the smell. He needed to eat something before continuing his search. However, it was currently occupied by two bodies that didn't seem very friendly.

Blinking, he approached the stand curiously. He could hear one of them talking in a raised voice. The man behind the stand seemed nervous and scared. Furrowing his brows, he continued his approach. Everyone else also seemed frightened of the two men. He furrowed his brows deeper when the words began to reach his ears.

"You'd better give us what we ask, or our captain will do like he did those two bounty hunters!"

"That's right! Our captain Monkey D. Luffy will come and tear you apart if you don't give us what we ask!"

At those words, his face turned into a scowl as he picked up his pace. The stand owner, noticed a fast approaching person from the corner of his eyes. At the sight, his eyes widened and he gasped. "I'm sorry! I'll give you what you want! Just don't hurt me!"

However, Luffy's attention remained on the two, falsely using his name. "Yeah, that's right! You better give us what we want! Our captain would really have destroyed this place and kicked your ass!"

Quickly reaching out, he grabbed the collar of the man closest to him and yanked him towards him. "Ah-Oi!" cried the startled man as he jerked away, but didn't get far as he quickly turned, only to be greeted with a fist to his face.

"_Who's_ your captain?!" yelled Luffy angrily.

The second man quickly turned and then paled to a sickly white. "M-M-Monkey D-D. L-Luffy!!" he cried in terror.

The angry rubber man quickly lunged forward, head-butting the second man. "Gah!" he cried as he fell over backwards, a hand immediately flying to his nose.

"Why are you bothering the niku-ossan?!" yelled Luffy.

"W-We're sorry! We won't ever do it again! Just please! Don't hurt us!" cried the first man.

Blinking in a bit of confusion, he couldn't recall having ever gotten this kind of reaction before. People seemed to be making a great deal of noise and cries of fear as they began to run from there. Blinking further, he frowned deeper as he looked around him. At doing so, both men quickly got up and made a run for it.

"Ah!" exclaimed Luffy as he turned to them and reached out. "Hey you!"

"Please! Don't hurt me! You can have whatever meat you want! Don't destroy my stand!"

"Ah!" exclaimed Luffy in surprise as he turned to the man behind the stand, setting the two men aside. "Destroy your stand?"

"Please, don't do it!" cried the man.

"I won't destroy your stand…" said Luffy as he blinked at the man wide eyed. Then he grinned at him happily. "But I _would_ like some meat!"

Many people gasped and moved away quickly, mumbling about something to do with insane. "W-Whatever you want! Just take it!" yelled the man as he grabbed some and thrust it towards Luffy.

Blinking a bit, he stared at the man wide eyed, losing his grin as he also glanced at the others. The man still looked terrified. He knew better than to think he was offering it for any other reason than out of fear of his hurting him or destroying his stand. Then he turned back to the man. "Oi, niku-ossan…I won't hurt you, or destroy your stand…" he said with a serious expression.

"A-Alright! I-I'm already giving whatever you want! Take it!" said the man becoming hysterical.

Frowning further, Luffy then realized what was going on. "Oh, I see…" he said quietly. They must have seen what his other self had done. They think he's insane, and that he would hurt them. Then he gave a smile, instead of a grin. "Thank you, niku-ossan, but I have money. I can pay." he said.

The man blinked at him in confusion. "Pay…?" he asked quietly in disbelief.

"Aa! How much for all that you have there?" asked Luffy as his smile widened a bit.

Retracting his arms a bit, the man still looked nervous, not sure if perhaps he was playing with him or not. "Um…" he started as he looked down at it.

"It's alright, niku-ossan. You can tell me." said Luffy as he kept his smile.

"T-Two hundred…beli…" stuttered the man unsure of Luffy's motives.

"Ooo, two hundred beli." cooed Luffy in some awe of the price. Then he chuckled and then reached into his pocket. The man backed away a bit startled. Pulling out his hand, Luffy then counted the right amount, handing it to the man with a grin. "Here, you go, niku-ossan!" he said as he then set it down on the stand. Then he walked up and reached out for the meat carefully.

Carefully handing it to Luffy, the man then quickly backed away once he had it. "T-Thank you…" he said, still unsure.

"Aa! Thanks niku-ossan!" exclaimed Luffy happily as he chuckled and continued on. Everyone watched after him in confusion.

Both crews rounded the corner, just as Luffy rounded his own, out of sight. "We have to find him!" exclaimed N with worry on her face.

"Aa…" agreed L, who also looked worried. As he looked around at the town, he frowned deeply. '_Luffy_…_where are you_…?'

xxxx

As they walked down the street, following behind D at a far enough distance as he sniffed out their prey, Nate found himself frowning as he shifted uncomfortably on his crutches. Nami frowned as she noticed his shifting from the corner of her eye. "You okay?" she asked as she turned to him.

"I'm fine…" he replied quietly.

"You could have stayed back at the ship…" she said.

Shaking his head, he frowned. "No…I have to make sure you're alright…"

Frowning further, Nami turned away to look ahead of her. "You know…you don't always have to watch me all the time…I can look out for myself…I mean, it's not like I'm not grateful to you, but you've already done so much for me…and suffered a great deal because of me…"

Shaking his head again, he then turned away from her. "No…I have to…and I don't mind…" he said quietly.

Quickly turning to him, her expression turned confused. "Why?"

"Because…if…if it hadn't been for me…you wouldn't be in this position in the first place…I'm sorry…" he almost whispered. That fact had been bothering him for a long time.

Her eyes widened in surprise before she frowned at him sadly. He felt guilty for why she was even there. After she had shown him kindness that first time, must have been the start of his guilt. He had been trying to atone since then by protecting her from any harm and taking so much abuse to do so.

"I-I don't blame you for what happened…Things just happen…I'm kind of used to things happening all the time…Especially when traveling with someone like Luffy…" she said and tried to smile to assure him.

"I know you don't blame me…and that makes it worse…" he said quietly.

Smiling wider and closing her eyes, she just shrugged her shoulders. "It's alright…Don't worry about it, besides, if you hadn't done this, we would never have met."

"I would rather we had never met and I had not brought this pain upon you…" he said.

"It's okay. It's worth it having suffered pain to have met you and now you aren't the person you used to be. I would rather this, for that reason alone." she said.

His eyes widened slowly before turning to her. He stared at her for a long while in disbelief before a blush crept up his cheeks and he lowered his head, concealing his eyes with his hair. Then he lifted his head to look at D's back as they walked.

"We're a little alike…" he said quietly.

Quickly turning to him, she blinked a bit. "Huh?"

"We've had horrible things happen to us…People betray us…People try to kill us…We've been alone…for a really long time…Him…even more so…However, we're still quite different. He's had a lot more happen to him…" he explained.

Frowning sadly, she then looked down. "He's in so much pain…and you're right…he is alone…From what he said, he's been alone for maybe ten years…I know Ace is a few years older than he is…It…It seemed as if I was alone for eight years…but then…I always did have my sister…I may have felt alone…but he really _was_ alone…He didn't have anyone…I know he must be lonely…but yet…he can't trust anyone…which makes it that much more lonely…"

Nodding, Nate seemed to understand. "It's true that I didn't really trust anyone, but he…he's at a whole other level of distrust…I mean…I trust you…he doesn't…No matter how you treat him, he still distrusts you…I also felt alone, but I had the pirate crew I was with…They didn't treat me badly…At least, not really…Not like how I assume they must have treated him..."

Sighing, she shifted her eyes to the ground. "Un…" she uttered sadly. Then she smiled. "But at least I've helped to alleviate your loneliness." she said as she turned her smile to him, which only caused him to look away and blush.

"We're close…"

Both looked at him with slightly wide eyes. Stopping where he was, he lifted his face to the air one last time. After awhile, he lowered his chin and looked around. "I smell something…" he said as he smirked.

Shaking his head with a raised brow, Nate still couldn't quite believe he could do that. Leaning towards Nami, he voiced this thought. "I would love to know how he can do that…" he whispered.

One side of Nami's lips rose in a small smile as she leaned towards him. "Me too…"

"This way…" he said as he began to walk in that direction.

xxxx

Gobbling down all his meat, Luffy then licked and sucked on his finger of all the meat's juices. With a contented grin on his face, he then began to look around to see if he could find Nami. However, everywhere he walked, people seemed to run in the opposite direction. Losing his grin, he blinked as he watched the townspeople run into shops or down alleys just so they weren't on the same street as he was. Frowning, he tried to ignore them and continued down the street.

Turning a corner, he continued walking down it, in no real hurry. He would find Nami eventually. However, as he did, a few people ran past him with a few looks of panic, many with utter bewilderment on their faces as they met with his eyes. Frowning further, he picked up his pace as he headed in the direction the people were running from. As he neared, he could hear screams as well as cries of pain. Scowling, he knew he had found what he was looking for. He didn't really know what he was going to do, or why his feet started to kick up into a run, but he just knew he had to get there.

His heart began to race when he heard a familiar voice screaming. "Nami…" he breathed as he ran even faster towards the large crowd of people.

"That's enough! Please! You'll kill him!"

He shuddered when he could hear his own voice, laughing in maniacal pleasure. He hit the crowd hard, pushing them aside as he forced his way through. He ignored the completely shocked and confused stares he got from the crowd, wondering how it was they were looking at the same person they just removed their eyes from.

"Don't do this! Don't do this to him! Please!"

His scowl deepened from Nami's pleads for him to cease. He knew it was of him she spoke of. He finally broke through enough to see what was going on. Grinding and baring his teeth, he stopped where he was as he watched a moment. His other self had a man pinned to the wall, pummeling him senselessly. Shifting his eyes to the side, he could see Nami still trying to get him to stop. He watched as she approached him cautiously, continuing with her pleads. He began to growl as he noticed the tears in her eyes.

Pushing past further, he lunged forward, no longer caring as he tackled his other self to the ground, causing him to drop the man. There were many screams and gasps as the newest person joining the fight, one in particular the loudest.

"Luffy!" cried Nami as her watery eyes widened in complete shock.

Blinking in confusion from being tackled and the woman crying his name, he quickly turned to his attacker. His eyes widened when his own face was scowling right back at him. Then suddenly a fist plowed into his face. Many people's eyes widened into large saucers at seeing the exact same man fighting with himself. Recovering from his earlier shock, D then began to chuckle as he kicked Luffy off of him. Luffy was sent flying towards the crowd, knocking over a few civilians.

"Luffy, what are you doing?!" yelled Nami as she felt herself panicking.

Standing up, D had a horrible grin on his face. "I knew I smelt something rank…" he said as he chuckled.

Also standing and untangling himself from the crowd, Luffy scowled back to D. "What are you doing?" he asked, in question to his earlier abuse to the man.

"We're a little early, aren't we?" asked D as his smirk widened.

"Not early enough…" said Luffy in a low angry growl.

"I told you four months…I knew you could barely compete with me in that time. I said I would come find you…" said D as he lost his smirk.

"Two months is all we need to kick your ass…" replied Luffy as his frown deepened.

Becoming worried, Nami's expression contorted in her worry. '_But you have a week and a half left_,_ Luffy_…' she thought to herself.

xxxx

"Where did he go?!" exclaimed N in complete concern. They had been searching for awhile now, but had yet to spot him.

"He has to be around here somewhere…" said L as he looked around with a frown on his face. _He_ was not nearly as impulsive…

"Anything Chopper?" asked Usopp as they all walked together.

Lifting his nose from the ground, Chopper frowned further. "There's a lot of confusing smells here…"

Sighing, N closed her eyes in her exasperation before looking around again. "I can't believe how impatient he is…I just hope he doesn't run into that other Luffy…"

"That ossan back at the meat stand said he went this way…" said Franky as he too looked around.

Stopping, Robin closed her eyes and crossed her arms. "Perhaps I can try…Ojos flor."

Everyone also stopped and turned to her as she stood in silence with her eyes closed. However, suddenly, her mouth opened in a soft gasp as her brows furrowed.

"What is it Robin?" asked L as he frowned further.

Sweat beaded down her face as she opened her eyes. "He has found him…" she answered.

"What?!" everyone exclaimed in shock.

"Oh no!" exclaimed N in worry.

"Where are they Robin?!" asked L as his expression turned into a displeased scowl.

"This way!" she called as she began to run. Everyone took off after her as she led the way.

xxxx

"So…you think you can take me on then, do you?" asked D, highly amused by this claim.

"I will do whatever it takes to get Nami back…" he said in a low threatening voice.

Frowning a bit, Nami could only watch and listen, knowing she couldn't stop either from fighting. '_Luffy_…'

"Do you think he can win?" whispered Nate next to her.

"I-I don't know…" she whispered in return. She was scared, her heart hammering away in her chest. Then she began to look around. '_Where are the others_…?_ Why aren_'_t they with him_…?'

Smirking wide, D then sucked on his teeth. "Aww…does the little woman mean that much to you?"

Clenching and baring his teeth, Luffy's brows creased further. "She's my nakama…I would do anything for her."

"Is that so…Well…to be quite honest with you…I've grown to really like her…You see…the feeling of her skin and breasts under my hands leaves me wanting more…I'm thinking I want to keep her." said D with an amused chuckle.

Eyes widening in complete horror, Nami gasped as sweat beaded down her face. Then tears began to sting her eyes again as her cheeks flushed. Eyes also widening slowly, Luffy's jaw dropped slowly as well as sweat also beaded down his face. His breathing came out slow and hard as he digested those words. Face turning pained, Nami brought a hand to her mouth as she looked down. The tears welling further, she had never wanted anyone to know about that, other than Nate, seeing as he knew what had happened.

Slowly turning to Nami, Luffy's expression never changed from his shock. At seeing her tears, he knew what he said was true. His brows slowly began to crease as his teeth began to clench tightly, baring them as he turned to him. He could hear his teeth grind as his expression turned into rage.

"You…bastard…" he seethed in a low, deathly voice.

Breaking into a laugh, D threw his head back in his vicious mirth. "Oh I'm sorry…Did I hit a nerve?" he asked in his amusement.

Grinding his teeth so hard, they could almost crack under the pressure, his nostrils flaring. "You're going to pay for touching my nakama…" he continued in the same voice.

"Nakama? Is that all she is to you? That's pathetic…" he said into a chuckle.

Frowning, Nate turned to her with an expression of sadness as he gently placed a hand on her back. "I'm sorry…" he whispered, as if he could make it better.

"Well, if you think you're so strong…why don't you do something about it then?" asked D as he spread his arms out from his sides.

"Luffy!"

Just as he took a step, Luffy froze and made a small noise as he turned to the call. As he did, the crowd began to split, revealing both crews. Gasping, N stopped where she was as D came into her view. L immediately grabbed her and pulled her behind him as he frowned deeply at D.

"Oh, so you brought the whole family…" said D in his still amusement with a chuckle.

The crowd looked at the newcomers curiously. "Luffy…what were you thinking…?" asked L, a little annoyed, to say the least. It was too early still to confront this enemy.

Many people in the crowd gasped at the familiar voice, and then blinked when they stared at his face more closely. Suddenly, there was some noise coming from the back of the crowd.

"Coming through! Step aside and leave the area!"

"It's the marines! They will handle this!"

Jin stepped through the still parted crowd while his men tried to get everyone to move along. Then he turned a frown on Luffy. Ignoring all the frowns, Luffy turned his attention back onto the problem at hand. "Aa…Everyone is here…" he finally replied.

"Then…shall we get started…I believe you were saying something about kicking my ass for molesting your girlfriend?" D said with another amused chuckle.

There was a collective ensemble of gasps at what he had said. "Stop it…" whispered Nami as she brought her hands to her head.

Chuckling again, D turned to her, and then walked up to her. "Oi!" yelled Luffy in warning as he stepped forward.

As he approached her, he reached out, cupping her chin. Scrunching her face as if in pain, she looked up at him in sadness. "Please don't do this…" she whispered.

"You tell me that every time. Do you think saying it again will make a difference?" he asked.

Turning her face away from him, she pulled her face from his grasp. However, he only grabbed her arm tightly. "Aah!" she cried out in pain.

"Don't…touch her…" seethed Luffy as he bared his teeth further, clenching them tighter.

L also clenched his teeth tightly as he scowled in anger. Stepping around Nami, D then pulled her to his front, wrapping his arm around her. He smirked wide as he chuckled in his amusement.

"Then do something about it…"

**To Be Continued…**

**Author's Note: **Uwah! The tension builds! XO I know, you all hate me so much for ending it right there, don'tcha?! XD Uh huh…Well too bad! XD I end it where I wanna end it! Next chapter should be ACTION PACKED! So look forward to it, ne?! XD By the by, there's a great song that to me describes D _perfectly_. The song is Crossfade's Starless! Actually, I have a TON of songs that match him perfectly, but those can come later. XD You should really check out this song. It's a great song, one I really love. If you aren't into rock then just check out the lyrics. It really does describe him. XD Anyways, please give me _reviews_ on this latest chapter! I really want you input on it. I would also like some input on how you guys really feel about a sequel. I still really want to do it, because I got some GREAT ideas, but some input would be nice! Thanks! 8D

**P.S. **Oh! I forgot to mention! XD Seltap helped me with Ace's description for his personality! XP Thanks Sabs! XD


	15. Chapter 15: Useless?

Crossed

**Author's Note: **Finally! The chapter you've all been waiting for! XD There's an **AWESOME** **SURPRISE **waiting for you guys in this chapter! XD See, but **IF YOU DON'T READ MY A/N, YOU WON'T KNOW ABOU IT!** I hope you really enjoy the shocking surprise! I can't believe how quickly I finished this chapter. I actually didn't type at all this weekend. It wasn't writer's block either, because I had the entire chapter, practically typed out. It was a different problem that you will understand at the end that I had. Well, I won't hold you guys up any longer! I know you've all been waiting a long time for this! Please leave me a review and enjoy! XD

**P.S. **By the way, did you guys check out Crossfade's Starless? --; I'm tellin' ya! It describes him _perfectly_!! Ah, but my husband reminded me that it may not make sense to you guys just yet…It will after the sequel though.

**Crossed**

**Chapter 15: Useless?**

Grinding his teeth, Luffy wanted more than anything to tear his other self apart, to make him hurt. He shifted his eyes to Nami, whose eyes were concealed by her hair. She wasn't even trying to move away from him…Why? His eyes shifted back to the smug smirk plastered on his other self's face. It made him boil with rage, wanting to wipe it clean.

Chuckling at Luffy from not having moved a muscle, he leaned down and began to kiss Nami's neck. "Aren't you going to come? You should taste this skin…" he said in between kisses and licks.

Making a small noise as he clenched his teeth tighter, he took in a shaky breath as all Nami did was move her head to the side, eyes still concealed. "I said…don't…touch her…" said Luffy as he stepped forward.

"Nami…maybe we can move to an area where there are less people…" whispered L in a strained voice as his eyes seemed to pierce through his other self as well.

Breathing heavily and shakily as tears came to her eyes, N turned to him. "What do you mean…?" she whispered in a shaky voice.

"Nate is here…Perhaps he would be willing to try and send him back to his own world…We can all go there, make sure he stays. So at least…if we don't win this…he will be back in his world." he explained.

Gasping, N's eyes widened at his words, and then she nodded in understanding. "I see…"

"See if you can get to Nate. You are stealthier, and _he_ might not notice." he said.

Nodding, she turned her tear filled eyes back to the other Luffy before turning to Nate, who looked to be just as angry.

Ignoring Luffy completely and actually, playing to his anger, he began to slowly slide his hand up her shirt which caused her to whimper and shudder. Everyone's eyes widened and made loud exclamations in disbelief as he grabbed her breast under her shirt.

"Bastard…" Sanji seethed as he clenched his teeth and fists.

"So soft…" he cooed in her ear as he began to suck on it. Shuddering again, a small noise escaped her lips. She didn't attempt to stop him. "You see…_Luffy_…" D sneered as he peered over her shoulder, still placing hot kisses up her throat. "She likes it…She's becoming aroused by my touch…I can smell it…I can smell her arousal, like a sweet invitation of her asking for me to take her…"

Making a small cry, Nami clenched her teeth as her cheeks flushed richly of color. "Please stop…" she whispered in a sorrowful voice, full of her tears and sadness. "Don't do this…"

Growling from low in his throat, Luffy bared his teeth fully in his burning rage as he began to sprint forward, but then stopped. Nate had stepped up and jumped on D's back causing him to shove Nami away in his irritation. She landed on her hands and knees and then turned up towards D with wide, tear filled eyes.

"Don't touch her, you asshole!!" screamed Nate as he wrapped an arm tightly around D's neck.

"Nate, don't!" she cried through a tear filled voice. "Please! Don't!" she cried as she felt a sob escape.

Everyone gasped as they watched this small man fight to protect her, even though he was completely outmatched. D grabbed his arms, easily ripping them from around his throat, and tossed him hard against the building wall.

"Gah!" he exclaimed as he slid to the ground. Then he clenched and bared his teeth as he looked up at D, who was slowly approaching him in anger. "That's right, you psychotic fucker! I said don't touch her!" he screamed as he tried to sit himself up. "I'm not afraid of you!!"

Growling, D reached out for him, but didn't make it far. Two pairs of arms where holding back each of his arms. Growling further, he looked over each side of him to see his other selves holding him back from hurting Nate further. Throwing them off easy, he then turned to give them his undivided attention.

Crawling towards Nate, feeling weak, Nami reached him, not wanting to face the others in her shame and embarrassment. "A-Are you alright…?" she asked in a strained, tear filled voice.

"I'm fine Nami…" he said as his face softened. "I'm so sorry…I had to…I couldn't take it anymore, and he didn't have his attention on me like he did them…" he continued as he reached up and wiped away her tears. "I don't care if he hurts me…but I hate to see him hurt you. You're my friend, Nami."

Tearing further, her head lowered as she sniffed and sat down next to him. "Thank you…" she whispered.

N blinked a bit as she watched Nami crawl over to Nate and begin talking to him. She was even more surprised by how Nate treated her. His expression was so soft as he spoke to her, wiping away her tears. She felt a bit confused, and wondered about it. Was this what he was really like? Looking towards all the Luffy's, she then turned and made her way to them quickly, and stealthily. Nami looked over quickly as N approached, but quickly looked away in her shame and embarrassment. Nate also turned to look at her and gave a bit of a frown, unsure of why she was coming.

Kneeling down, she gently touched Nami's shoulder. "Are you alright?" she asked in a gentle voice.

Sniffing again, she nodded her head. "I'm fine…"

Frowning and understanding her more than Nami may have thought, she sighed and then turned to Nate. "We have a request, if you'd be so kind as to grant it?"

"A request?" asked Nate as he frowned further.

"Yes…we want to send him back to his world…Do you think you can do that for us?" she asked.

Blinking a bit, he lost his frown as he stared at her awhile. "I-I think I can…"

Smiling, she nodded. "L, who is my Luffy, said that he and Luffy will try and force him inside. We need to get away from these people." she said as she turned back to the struggle. So far both managed to keep him restrained. However, _he_ looked very unhappy.

"I-I can try…" he said as he tried to stand.

Nodding, she reached out to help him stand. Nami immediately reached out to do the same. Both held him up as best they could as he lifted his arms up. Breathing heavily, he felt pressured and a bit stressed at the severity of the situation. Finding the other Luffy's world was no easy task, seeing as he had passed through it quickly, not having paid much attention to it's feeling and frequency. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes, trying to concentrate, hoping the other Luffy wouldn't see what they were doing.

The crews turned back and forth between both Nami's and to the struggle. "What are they doing?" asked Usopp as he watched the Nami's.

"I don't know…" replied Z as he narrowed his eyes a bit.

Nate stood where he was for a long time not doing anything. He kept his eyes closed, standing for a bit longer before opening them. "Cross Dimensional Portal." he finally said.

Moving away from the portal, N then turned towards the Luffy's. "Luffy!" she called.

All three turned their attention on her. Luffy blinked in confusion as did D. However, L immediately acted, shoving D towards it. "Luffy, help me!"

Not wasting any time, Luffy immediately began to shove D towards the portal. Baring his teeth in anger, D shifted his eyes to Nate before turning back to the matter at hand. He tried his best to struggle against both and get away before he was shoved into the portal.

"You have to hurry, or it will close!" yelled Nate.

Crying out, both pushed as hard as they could, and tried to keep their holds on him as he struggled and tried to shove them off. The crew looked on in worry, wondering if they would make it through in time. Chopper furrowed his brows as he sprint forward, throwing a Rumble Ball into his mouth.

"Horn Point!"

He carefully pushed against Luffy and L, giving them a slight shove to help them push D inside. "Chopper! Don't!" yelled L.

"You need help getting him in!" replied Chopper as he dug his back hooves into the ground and helped them push. Soon more arms and hands followed as both Zoro's and Sanji's also helped to shove him through the portal. D cried out in anger and strain as he tried to keep himself from being pushed into the portal.

"Alright, but after this…none of you are allowed to fight!" said L.

"What?!"

"Aa, he's right…" agreed Luffy as he strained to hold on and push at the same time.

"It would be all too easy for him to kill any of you…" said L.

"Aa, and besides…I wanna see how strong I've become…" added Luffy as he smirked.

Also smirking, L continued to shove. "Aa…me too…"

"You maggots! I can take you all on at once!" yelled D in anger as he shoved back.

"Too bad! You're only getting us!" replied L.

A few more shoves and screams of force later, they finally managed to get him through, the rest of the crews and Nate following. Jin watched them all go through and sighed, closing his eyes. "Good luck…you guys…"

Then he turned his attention to the people. "Alright, nothing to see here! Move on, let's go!"

"You heard the man! Let's go, get back to your lives!" said Abel as he too tried to shoo the crowd.

"What the hell was that?!"

"There was three of the same man!"

"I could have sworn there were also doubles!"

"What is that weird thing there?!"

--

Once on the other side, they held him down until the portal closed. Once it did, the crew immediately backed off to allow Luffy and L the room they would need.

From his place in the orchard, a young man glanced up, startled from the odd doorway that seemed to appear several feet in front of him. He frowned at all the people who came through, seeming to struggle with one of them. His eyes immediately shifted to the baby trees he had just planted not too long ago. The huge group of people was far too close to them for his comfort.

As soon as the crews backed off, Luffy and L were far too tired from the strain of holding and pushing on him. D immediately grabbed their arms and threw them behind him. As they were thrown, they landed and rolled over the freshly planted trees.

The young man immediately stood up, furious. Grounding his teeth, he stared at the ruined trees, then at the thrown young men, and then up at the first man, "Oi, what the hell are you doing?!"

D immediately looked over at the yell and then frowned deeply. Then he turned his attention to Nate in anger. Both N and Nami quickly turned to the voice with wide eyes and a gasp. The young man inhaled sharply as his eyes widened.

Then N frowned and turned to Nate. "This is the wrong world!"

"I-I'm sorry! I tried!" exclaimed Nate.

"It's alright…Don't worry about it. You will get it right…" said Nami.

Then suddenly Nate was rushed, and an arm came out to roughly grab Nami's arm, and then pulled away from the others. "Aah!" she cried out from the pain of the grip. She then began to struggle against D.

"No, don't! Let me go!" she cried as tears came to her eyes.

"Oi!" the young man yelled again as he ran forward.

Luffy immediately stood up. "Let her go! I don't want you touching her anymore!"

Laughing, D immediately pulled Nami to him. "You can't tell me what to do…"

Turning, he walked a ways, roughly pulling Nami along behind him. "Ah!" she cried out from the grip he had on her. He shoved her hard away from the others, causing her to fall to her hands and knees. She cried out in pain again.

The young man bared his teeth as he continued towards the people, no longer caring, or surprised about where they came from. "Don't treat Nami that way!!" he yelled as he grabbed D from behind and slammed his head into the back of his.

"Gah!" exclaimed D as he stumbled forward.

Gasping in shock, Nami's eyes widened in horror. Luffy and L's jaws dropped, Luffy recovering first. "Idiot, don't touch him!"

"No, don't!" yelled L.

Growling in anger as he grabbed his head, D then turned a cold, angry stare at this newest nuisance. Then suddenly he smirked and chuckled as he stepped forward, quickly jabbing his fist into his gut.

"Hkk!" exclaimed the fourth Luffy in pain as he ground his teeth. He scowled up at D, barely staying on his feet as he hacked up blood. D then swiftly kicked this newest nuisance out of his way.

"Oi, that's enough! He's got nothing to do with this!" yelled L as he also stood up.

"Ahh!" Nami and N both shouted as they watched him go flying.

Coming forward a bit, Luffy looked at his newest other self, wondering how he had still been standing. "…Just stay down! Keep out of this! You're no match!"

Cringing where he lie, the fourth Luffy then realized the kick had caused him to uproot some more small trees. "…You…!" he exclaimed through clenched teeth.

"No!" yelled Nami as she tried to get up to go to him and see if he was okay. However, D grabbed her and shoved her behind him again. Crying out, she landed hard behind him.

L ground his teeth as he stared at D. Looking to Nami and then to D, Luffy glared at him with rage. "I said don't touch her!"

Rolling onto his hands and knees, the fourth Luffy then tried to dig up and rebury his trees. "Damn you! Look what you've done!!"

Beginning to laugh in amusement by this new Luffy, D looked over at him and his trees. "What are you some pussy, nature lovin' faggot? Did I break your little trees?"

Frowning sadly, Nami looked from one to the other. N also frowned as she placed a hand over her mouth. "What a horrible thing to say…" she whispered.

"Leave him alone!" yelled L angrily.

"They're _not_ mine! And they're not yours either," said the fourth Luffy as he stood up after fixing the trees. "That's why you have no right to ruin them!"

D's expression turned cold as he glared at him, "You think I give a shit about your small ass trees?"

Blinking a bit, Nami glanced around at the small orchard. "Mikans…" she whispered.

The fourth Luffy then turned to scowl and bore his teeth at D, "If you're me, you should."

Tilting her head, Robin looked the fourth Luffy over. "A pirate, a marine, a killer ... and a farmer?"

L turned and blinked at her. "Farmer?"

Losing his cold glare, D then burst into cruel laughter. "I don't give a shit about you or your sorry ass trees!"

"Alright, that's enough!" yelled L as he lunged forward to attack.

Also snapping out of it, Luffy leapt up into the air, "Gomu Gomu no Pistol!"

Blocking both attacks easily, D focused most of his attention on Luffy as he scoffed in amusement. "What the hell…? You name your attacks?! That's so stupid…"

Landing on the ground, Luffy rose up both fists. "What about it?! They sound cool!"

"Cool?!" asked D as he laughed even harder. "That's even more stupid! You're an idiot!"

"It is cool!!" Luffy yelled before turning to his crew. "Right guys?!"

Zoro and Sanji were facing in another direction, Sanji focusing on his cigarette. Usopp was looking up in the air, sweat beaded down his face as he whistled. Chopper only looked confused and Franky looked angry. "Damn right!"

Blinking, Luffy stared at his crew in disbelief. "You traitors!" he yelled angrily.

Deflating as she released a sigh, Nami shook her head and placed her hand on her forehead with a slight groan. N only had a nervous smile on her face. Since D had his attention on Luffy, Nami snapped out of her embarrassment and made her way over to the fourth Luffy.

Kneeling down beside him, she placed a hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay? I'm sorry about your trees…"

Looking up at her, he smiled as he wiped away his blood and then kissed her forehead. "They're not mine; they're yours."

Gasping as her eyes widened, she blushed as she stood and stepped away from him. "Um…I-I'm not…who you think I am…"

Noticing Nami from the corner of his eyes, Luffy had seen the exchange. "Oi, you jerk!" he yelled at the fourth Luffy angrily as he stamped his foot.

Turning to Luffy, Nami frowned at his outburst. "Doesn't matter, Nami is Nami." said the fourth Luffy as he cracked his knuckles and headed for D, who now had his attention.

Gasping, Nami turned and grabbed his shoulder. "Wait! You really shouldn't! He's very strong..." she said before she stopped at realizing what he said. "Wait…what?"

Putting his hand over hers, the fourth Luffy turned a smile to her. "I know. Doesn't matter though, Nami is Nami. Luffy is Luffy, with or without a scar or some stupid hat."

Snorting steam from his nose, Luffy stamped his foot again, "Hey, jerk, shut up!"

Blinking at him, she knew she couldn't stop him. He was right about one thing...Luffy was Luffy. "Just...be careful then..." she said gently as she turned to Luffy and stared at him for awhile with a frown.

Suddenly, D swiftly ran past both Luffy and L and rushed the new one. Then he grabbed Nami's arm and began to move her away from them. She still belonged to him at that moment. Both Luffy and L quickly turned.

"Oi!" yelled L as he quickly came forward. Luffy scowled at him, clenching his fist as he also ran forward to punch D. The other Luffy flew into his trees, snapping some in two.

"Aah!" cried Nami from the pain of his hold.

"Stop hurting her!" yelled Luffy.

Quickly turning, D shoved Nami away and tried to block both attacks, but failed. As he was hit, he was sent flying into more trees. The new Luffy quickly looked up in horror as more trees were broken. Pushing himself up, he charged D, stretching both arms back and slamming them into him, sending him flying towards L.

"Catch!"

Eyes widening, L caught D, but they both went flying. "Gah!"

Sitting up, L looked over at the new Luffy angrily. "What the hell are you doing?!" D immediately sat up and punched L. "Guh!"

Eyes widening slightly, N covered her mouth. "Oh!" she exclaimed, but then began to sweat slightly as she turned to the new Luffy. '_Does he think it's a game_?!'

Turning to the newest one, D scowled and bared his teeth at him, very angry now. "You little pussy..." he seethed as he got up to charge him. However, L grabbed a hold of his ankle, sending him down onto his face. "Guh!"

"Where do you think you're going, asshole?!" yelled L with a scowl.

"L are you okay?!" asked N as she frowned.

Running up to them, Luffy left a fist behind before he was right next to D. "Gomu Gomu no…!"

D immediately kicked L off before getting up, just to get slugged in the face by Luffy. "Pistol!" yelled Luffy.

"Gah!" exclaimed D as he was sent flying.

Rubbing his head with a pout, the new Luffy turned to L. "You weren't actually supposed to catch him!"

"What are you doing then?!" yelled L in annoyance as he stood up.

Letting out a breath of exasperation, Nami drooped a bit. '_Luffy was Luffy_…' N also drooped a bit, as she frowned lop-sidedly.

"You coulda hit him or somethin'! You didn't have to actually catch him!"

"Then don't hit him towards me! Geez! You're almost as bad as he is!" yelled L in reply as he pointed to Luffy.

"Oi!" exclaimed Luffy as he scowled at L angrily. Then he turned to the new Luffy. "I'll play catch with you…uh…"

Robin gave a gentle smile. "Monkey-san."

"I'm quite partial to tree lovin' pussy myself…" said D in a grunt as he stood and wiped the blood from his mouth, scowling at them all. "Enough games…" he said as he lunged forward, punching Luffy in the gut and face at the same time. Then he quickly whipped around and kicked Monkey-san away. Then he turned, grabbed L by the throat and slammed him into the ground.

Gasping, Nami watched as Luffy flew over all of their heads. "Luffy!"

N gasped as her eyes widened in fear. "Luffy!" she cried, not thinking as she watched L.

Trembling, Monkey-san twitched from his place on the ground as he watched. "Damn…" he breathed.

"Nngh!" exclaimed Luffy as he ground his teeth and clutched his stomach from the pain. Then when he looked up and blinked at a certain face. "…Nami…?"

Another Nami was staring down at him wide eyed. She also blinked down at him in confusion, having seen his hat and a scar on his face. Then she finally looked up. '_Hat…scar…wrong clothes…no scar_!' Breaking into a run, she went straight for Monkey-san. "Luffy!" She cried, not knowing what was going on.

Nami quickly turned to the familiar voice coming from a different direction than N. "Ah!"

N also looked towards the voice and gasped. Looking up with a smirk, D quickly got up and stepped forward, catching the new Nami with his arm. "Ooh, and we've got another one…" he said in a mocking tone as he pulled her to his front.

Beginning to sweat nervously, Nami's eyes widened. "No, don't! Leave her alone!"

"Na-chan…" said Robin with a bit of a frown.

"Ah!" exclaimed Na-chan. Then she scowled, getting a bad vibe from this Luffy as she slammed her high heel into his foot, and then elbowed his gut.

Grunting, but never losing his hold, D then began to chuckle as he leaned towards her. "You're just as fiery...I really like that..." he said in a low voice as he nuzzled her neck.

Paling, Nami gasped as she stepped forward. "Stop it!" she cried. N frowned, becoming worried.

Growling, L stumbled to his feet from having the air knocked out of him. "You bastard...I _would_ say get your own Nami...but I would never wish someone like you onto her..."

Na-chan blinked rapidly before she frowned. "You're the reason Luffy was hurt…"

Glancing to the side, Monkey-san slowly grabbed something he had brought a long with him to work on the garden. D chuckled next to her ear. "That's right…"

Nami's expression turned pained. "Let her go! She doesn't understand! It's me you need, right?"

Chuckling again, D looked over at Nami with a nasty smirk. "If I get rid of all three...I'll have three of you to myself...That sounds fun..."

Paling, Nami's eyes widened in horror, but then scowled at him despite the color loss. "I'd never…!" started N as she took deep breaths.

Suddenly, Monkey-san surged to his feet and ran towards D, whose back was to him, and swung the sharp end of the tool at his back. Shifting his eyes, D scowled as he quickly turned, using Na-chan as a shield. Gasping, Nami and N cried out in disbelief as her eyes widened in horror, "No!"

Eyes also widening, Monkey-san stopped himself just before hitting her. His chest heaving hard, he then tossed the hoe aside. Na-chan looked up at him in gave him a small smile in relief.

Groaning with a bit of a growl, Luffy pushed himself onto his feet again. "Bastard…" he seethed angrily.

Chuckling, D then shoved Na-chan at Monkey-san hard. Crying out in a rage, L immediately lunged for him, slamming his fist into his face. "Bastard! How dare you use her as a shield, you son of a bitch!!"

"Guh…!" exclaimed D as he hit the dirt and slid across it. Then he got up and wiped his mouth of the blood. "Now that's just wrong… How dare you say such horrible things about our mother like that..." he said with a mocking voice and smirk.

"Ah!" exclaimed L as sweat beaded down his face and his eyes widened. Then his face turned into an angry scowl as he growled at D.

Monkey-san caught Na-chan and kept both of them from falling. Then he smiled down at her, "Hi."

"Hi…what's going on…?" she asked. However, she only received a kiss for an answer, which caused her to blush slightly.

"It might be a good idea to back away, dahlin'." he said as he released her. Then he slammed his fist into the ground, sending himself flying into the air, and bringing a kick down onto D's head.

Rushing to L's side, Luffy placed a hand on his shoulder. "Oi, calm down!" he said. It was now his turn to calm L down so he could focus.

Having seen the exchange between Monkey-san and Na-chan, Nami blushed as she stared wide eyed. "You gotta be…"

Turning to Luffy, L then took a deep breath as he closed his eyes in an attempt to calm his rage. Then he nodded to Luffy. Luffy also felt rage for what D had done, but they needed to keep each other calm in order to defeat him. He knew he was just toying with them, wanting them to get angry.

As Monkey-san flew towards D, D reached up and grabbed his foot, and then swung him around a few times, sending him flying. "Guh!" exclaimed Monkey-san in surprise as he stretched out his arms to grab a hold of a tree. Then he let his arms extend further, aiming himself.

Sneaking forward, Na-chan grabbed the discarded hoe and then cracked the blunt end over the back of D's head, having no regrets hurting someone trying to hurt _her_ Luffy. Paling, Luffy's eyes widened. "Wait!"

Taking the hit, D then slowly turned to her with a cold glare.

"Oh my God! No, don't please!" cried Nami as she began to run forward.

However, Nate stopped her by grabbing a hold of her, grunting from the pain in his leg. "Same to you!"

Baring his teeth, D rose up an arm to strike her. Gasping, Na-chan shifted her eyes to his hand in disbelief. Leaping forward, L grabbed his arm and latched onto his body to keep him from hurting her. Grabbing his other wrist, Luffy also wrapped an arm around his waist to restrain him. "Get away from him!" yelled Luffy to Na-chan.

Taking a deep breath and scowling, she instead broke the hoe over D's head, who scowled and growled back at her. "You may look like Luffy, but a jerk is a jerk!" she cried.

"Nami, move!" yelled Monkey-san.

She immediately turned and then dropped down to the ground. Having been stretching himself out this whole time, Monkey-san then propelled himself towards D, sending himself flying towards him. Keeping his hold until the last second, L finally released D and jumped out of the way of Monkey-san's attack. D growled down at Na-chan who stared back up at him with a frown.

"Eeeh!" screeched Luffy as he rolled away just in time.

Monkey-san then slammed into D's back, sending him flying. Crying out, D rolled across the ground. He stopped himself and then got up slowly. When he turned to them, he wore his deadliest glare. Then he scoffed and gave them a half smirk. "Three idiots...One wants to be a pirate king...Childish...Another wants to get his little trees to grow big and strong...Faggot...And the other one..." he started in a mocking voice as he turned to look at each, stopping at L. He eyed him for awhile before giving a nasty chuckle.

L frowned at him deeply. "Let me guess...You wanna be just like Jii-chan...You wanna be an admiral...That's right...following in that asshole's footsteps so you can turn your back on your family for those useless, son's a bitches marine, world government _mother fuckers who wanna screw around with people as if they were lower than rats, assholes_!!" he screamed at the top of his lungs in a rage. Then he took a shaky breath before laughing maniacally.

Inhaling slowly, L's eyes widened in disbelief. "What…?" he whispered.

"That's right...Useless stupid dreams...for a bunch of useless, stupid idiots..." said D in an amused chuckle.

Looking completely confused, Na-chan frowned at D. "Dreams…?"

N frowned sadly at D. "What an awful ... At least they have dreams!" she cried.

Na-chan turned to her, still looking completely confused. Expression turning sad, Nami slowly turned away from him as she lowered her head. She understood everything he just said, or at least, most of it.

Turning to N, D scoffed at her. "Dreams...? At least they have dreams?" he said quietly before his expression turned cold. "Dreams are for naive idiots who don't _fucking_ know any better!! Dreams are for idiots who still believe in something as stupid as dreams!! Dreams are useless! That's all they will ever be anyways..." he said as he then turned to Luffy with a smirk. "Dreams...Never a reality..."

Eyes widening in a rage, Luffy steamed from his nose as he scowled at D.

"You're right…"

Everyone gasped as they turned to Monkey-san. "What…?" breathed Nami in disbelief.

"What did you say…?" asked L quietly.

Bursting out into laughter, D then turned to Monkey-san. "Well maybe one of you isn't as much of an idiot as I thought!"

Luffy looked angry. "Say that again, jerk!"

"Dreams aren't much good for anything. They don't put food on the table, and they won't go out and plant your fields for you either. Despite what you think, I don't got one." continued Monkey-san.

Blinking in disbelief, Nami stared at this Luffy in disbelief. "You mean...you're..._Dreamless_...?" she breathed.

L frowned at Monkey-san. "Exactly! Dreams don't do _shit_ for you!" said D in amusement as he chuckled, looking over at Luffy. "You should learn from this one..." he said as he began to laugh harder.

"Like hell I'd be like this jerk!" yelled Luffy, obviously still sore about his having kissed Nami's forehead.

Then suddenly, Monkey-san grinned, "But it sounds nice. If you make it come true, a dream won't be useless anymore!" He stretched his arm out to grab the back of D's head, entangling his fingers into his hair before bringing his forehead against his in a vicious head butt.

Grunting as his head jerked backwards, D growled as he grabbed Monkey-san's head and re-slammed his head into his multiple times before throwing him head first into a tree. Crying out in anger as he ran towards D, L tackled D to the ground. Quickly turning, D reached up and grabbed L's face, trying to push him off.

"Mmgh…!" exclaimed L as he punched D in the face.

Fuming, Luffy ran towards them to join L in the assault, getting close enough to jab D in the gut, "Gomu Gomu no Gattling Gun!"

Lifting his legs, he kicked L off from him and quickly kicked up to his feet, rushing them both, ramming his body into them, and then sending them flying into trees.

"Nngh!" exclaimed Luffy as he forced himself back up to his feet.

Rising behind D, swaying a bit, Monkey-san wiped the blood from his forehead.

"This is insane… He hasn't even used his abilities yet and he's still managing to stand up to all three of them..." said Z in a low, worried voice as sweat beaded down his face.

"Aa…" agreed Zoro as he painfully watched, his arms crossed tightly.

"They told us not to fight though…We have no choice but to watch…" said Sanji in a strained voice as he bit down on his cigarette.

"I can't believe how scary this Luffy is…Not even a third Luffy is making much of a difference…" said Usopp in a nervous voice as his knees shook.

Frowning in worry, Nami kept her eyes on Luffy. "Luffy…"

Getting up, L scowled at D as he held his head. Chuckling, D rose up a hand and beckoned them to come to him. Starting a charge, Luffy tried again, jabbing out his fists. "Gomu Gomu no…Gattling gun!!"

Turning quickly, D grabbed Monkey-san by his head and slammed him into Luffy and then tossed Monkey-san like so much baggage. Grabbing Luffy's head, he then slammed his fist into his face a few times and kneed his gut before slamming his head into a large rock, shattering it to tiny pieces.

"_Luffy_!" cried Nami as her eyes widened.

Scowling in anger, L cried out as he charged D. "Aah!"

Turning, D dropped Luffy's motionless body to the ground. Throwing an arm out and charging forward, he clothes lined L, throwing him down to the ground hard. Then he began to chuckle as he sat on his chest, pinning his arms down with his legs.

"Now what have we here...You and the tree lovin' fag have no scars...I think I'm going to have to fix that, so we can all be matching..." he said in an amused tone. Grabbing a sharp piece of the shattered rock, he then brought it to just above L's left eye.

Eyes widening, sweat beaded down L's face as his eyes shifted to the rock, and then he began to struggle. "Gah!!"

N's eyes widened to large orbs as she gasped. "Stop it! Just stop hurting them, please!" she cried as tears began to form in her eyes.

"No, please!" cried Nami as she too also began to cry.

Beginning to laugh lowly, but nastily, he brought the rock closer down towards L's left cheek. Crying out, L managed to get an arm free and grabbed D's arm to try and stop him. "Aah...Guh!" he cried out through clenched teeth as more sweat beaded down his face.

Beginning to laugh harder and manically at L's fruitless struggles, D finally made contact with L's skin, piercing it. Screaming out in pain, L continued to struggle.

"Oh my God…_Luffy_, _wake up_!!" screamed Nami as the tears over flowed as she watched in horror as D mutilated L. "_Stop it_! _Please_!" she cried.

"_Luffy_!!" cried N as she tried to run for him. However, S quickly grabbed her waist and pulled her to him. She struggled and fought frantically against him. S closed his eyes as he held onto her.

Dragging the sharp rock slowly through his skin, D continued to laugh maniacally, his eyes crazed. "_Stop it_!!" sobbed N as she struggled against S. L continued to cry out in pain as he tried his hardest to get D off from him and to stop him.

Finally stopping and pulling back some, D grinned maliciously down at L's face. "Let's see how many more scars we can give you…" he said in a horrible voice.

"Who'd want to be _you_?!" yelled Luffy as he kicked D in the face, sending him off of L.

Grabbing D's face when he lands near him, Monkey-san then looked down into his face. "Sorry ... I like being pretty." he said before he started punching him repeatedly in the face.

"Guh...!" exclaimed D as spit up blood. Then he shoved his hand into Monkey-san's face. "Bitch!" he yelled angrily as he lifted a leg and kicked him off hard.

Slowly sitting up, L placed a hand over his left eye as he ground his teeth from the pain. "Guh!"

"Luffy!" cried L's crew as they looked at him in worry.

"Hghn!" exclaimed Monkey-san as he grabbed D's wrist, taking him with him as he rolled onto his back.

Finally breaking free of S, N ran towards L. "Luffy!" she cried. "Are you alright?!" she asked as she made it to him.

Running up to them, Luffy then sunk his fist up into D's gut. "Haah!" he cried out.

"Gah…!!" exclaimed D as he coughed up more blood and then glared at Luffy. He swung his fist, hitting Luffy in the side of the head as he yanked his wrist from Monkey-san and then kicked him in the chest.

"I-I'm...alright..." replied L in a strained voice. Removing his hand from his face, he then looked down at the blood in it. Blood then seeped from the wound, and tears of blood slowly glided down from his left eye.

Starting to cry more, N reached out a hand. "Oh, Luffy, your eye!" she cried as her face turned pained. His eye was completely red on the inside. Then she gently wiped away his tears of blood.

Grabbing D's legs, Monkey-san coiled his body around them both and up his body so it's completely surrounded by his arms. "Farmer's Technique! Gomu Gomu no Drill!" he yelled as he rammed D's legs straight into the ground, burying him to his chest with his arms trapped as well. Then he turned and grinned at Luffy. "You're right. It is cooler with a name!"

Grinning in return, Luffy cracked his knuckles with a chuckle. "I told you so!" he exclaimed as he knelt in front of D and grabbed his hair. Then he began to slam his fist into his face multiple times, using him as his own personal punching bag, which was made easier, seeing as he was stuck.

Growling in rage as he was hit, D then let out a cry as he managed to pull his arms free and pull himself out. Then he slugged Luffy to get him away from him and kicked Monkey-san away. "You little shits! You think you're so smart!" yelled D in an angry strained voice.

Getting up, bringing N with him, L then turned to her. "You should go back to the others. It's not safe here." he said before kissing her chastely.

Frowning, N gently pulled him down, kissing him harder. Then she pulled away and looked up to his face in a soft expression. "... Come back…" she whispered. Then she quickly turned, tears in her eyes, and made her way back to the others.

Smiling warmly at her back, L then turned back to the other Luffy's as he lost his smile. Then he started walking towards them.

Scowling at D, Luffy then helped Monkey-san to his feet. Clutching at his stomach, D coughed up more blood as he glared up at Luffy. Grabbing her head, Nami clenched her teeth as the tears dripped to the ground. "Please…Please just stop!" she cried, feeling like she was in pain. She didn't want them to fight anymore. "Please don't fight anymore…Please don't hurt each other any more…" she whispered. Then she looked up at D. "Just stop…You don't have to fight!" she cried as more tears glided down her cheeks.

Turning to her, D scoffed. "Still pretending like you give a damn about me, bitch?"

"I do care!" she cried as the tears continued.

Snorting, D's face broke into a smirk before he burst out laughing at her. She frowned sadly as she looked away from him. "You _do_ care?! Aww, that's really sweet!" he said mockingly.

"Shut up, you asshole!" yelled Luffy. He was making Nami sad, and that was something he couldn't forgive.

Then suddenly D lost his smile completely as his expression turned cold. "You only _think_ you care because of _him_!" he yelled as he pointed towards Luffy, without removing his eyes from her. Luffy made a small noise as he looked from one to the other in confusion.

Gasping, her eyes widened as she turned to him. "No! That's not true!" she cried as tears formed in her eyes.

Blinking, Luffy furrowed his brows as he turned to her. Scoffing again, D looked at her with derision as he slowly lowered his arm. "Not true?" he asked quietly before he began to chuckle and a small mirthless smile played on his lips. Then it was gone. "That's a lie…"

"No, it's not!" she cried as more tears fell. Luffy's brows furrowed deeper as he stared at her.

N also felt tears forming as she stepped forward slightly. "Bullshit…Woman, if you didn't know who I was…If you didn't know who he was…you wouldn't give a shit about me…If I was someone you didn't know…you wouldn't care. You'd want me dead. So don't _sit_ there and tell me you _fucking give a shit about me_!!" he yelled angrily.

Her eyes widened as she stared at him as more tears glided down her cheeks. He was right…

"That's enough…"

Everyone turned to Luffy's quiet, but hard voice. He stood there with his head lowered and hat concealing his eyes. "I can tell you some truth when I say, that _I _don't really give a shit about you…"

"Luffy!" cried Nami as she frowned deeply at him.

"Luffy…" whispered N as she also frowned.

Chuckling and smirking big, D completely turned to him. "Now that's more like it…"

Both lunged for each other, arms drawn back for a punch. "Aah!" both cried out as they punched each other in the face, sending each other flying back. Luffy rolled across the ground before bringing himself to a stop. Flying into a tree, D cried out as he slid to the ground.

Luffy stopped right back next to Monkey-san. Finally making it to them, minus a functional left eye, L looked down at Luffy. "We should all attack at once..."

Looking at L, Monkey-san straightened and then nodded. Getting back up to his feet, Luffy grinned. "Right!" he said as he charged D, L and Monkey-san following. Each stretched an arm back for an attack.

Scowling, D watched them approach as he got into the defensive. "Shit…" he whispered. Seeing no other option, he had to use his abilities – no matter how much he hated to. Stepping back, he pulled his arm back and then whipped it around, letting it stretch. Swiping it towards them, he caught all three in it, throwing them all to the side.

After landing hard onto the ground, Monkey-san sat up and pointed with large eyes. "He can stretch too?!" he yelled. So far D had never stretched or used his abilities. He had assumed he couldn't.

Sitting up, L grabbed his head and then wiped away the blood from his eye. "Aa…he can stretch…" he replied. Then he looked over at D, who looked miffed. "Why decide to use your ability now? You panicking?" he asked as he gave D a smirk.

Scowling angrily in return, D bared his teeth and began to growl at them. Gritting his teeth against the pain, Luffy quickly charged D again, whipping his leg out to strike his side. Bringing up his arms, D tried to block with a battle cry, but was already becoming too weak and was instead knocked down into the dirt. Blinking a bit confused, Luffy then turned and grinned to L. They were weakening him. Growling as his anger built, D leapt up and tackled Luffy to the ground as he began to pound his fists into Luffy's face as he screamed in his psychotic rage.

"Gah!" cried Luffy as he drew blood from his mouth and nose.

Running forward, L tackled D off of Luffy, both hitting the dirt hard. Rolling onto D, L then began an assault on his face, slamming his fist into him. Luffy and Monkey-san soon joined him in the fray, each punching him.

"Gaah!" cried D in a rage as he began to push and kick them all off. "Get off of me!"

All of them flew off from him, landing in the dirt, but immediately got up. Blinking a bit, L was having trouble seeing. Then he turned to Luffy. "I think it's time we pulled off that move..."

Monkey-san turned to them and blinked at them curiously. "Move…?"

Grinning, Luffy then began to emit steam from his body. "Right!"

Chuckling, L grinned in return as he also began to steam up and his skin turn red. Slowly standing, D watched them in surprise. "What the…?"

Stumbling back in shock, Monkey-san stared up at L and Luffy with wide eyes as he landed on his rump. "What the hell?!"

Biting his thumb, still grinning, Luffy cracked it just enough to blow air into his bone, creating a huge fist. Running a little forward, using incredible speed, L turned in preparation for Luffy's fist.

Eyes widening at L's sudden speed and Luffy's huge fist, D stumbled back a bit unsure of what they were doing. "What the…?"

"Gomu Gomu no…!" both yelled as Luffy pulled his massive fist back far and then threw it forward, grabbing L with it. "Giant Jet Catapult!"

L positioned himself in Luffy's fist and then used the momentum to leap from his fist. From the massive speed of Luffy's fist and gear second, L bulleted towards D at an incredible speed, plowing his shoulder into him.

D's eyes widened as he inhaled sharply, knowing he couldn't move in time. "Gah!!" he exclaimed. The force and speed sent him flying back, plowing through multiple trees before hitting the ground hard and coming to a rolling stop. He slowly pushed himself back up to his feet, but he was in pain. "You bastards…"

Scowling, Luffy had already released the air in his hand and had been reverted into his little boy form. "Damn, he's still standing?!"

Blinking a bit with wide eyes, D stared down at Luffy before bursting into laughter. "What the hell happened to you?! Ha!"

Everyone else also stared at Luffy in disbelief as sweat beaded down their faces. Then D lunged forward to attack Luffy, but was quickly cut off by L, who was still steaming. Inhaling sharply, D dug his heels into the dirt to stop himself as his eyes widened from the speed. Using that speed, L uppercut D's chin, sending him flying up and back again. Then he turned to Luffy to see if he turned back to normal. Turning to Monkey-san after awhile, he blinked a bit.

"You know how to do bazooka, right?" he asked.

"Well, yeah! 'Course I do!"

Poofing back to his normal size, Luffy then pat his chest. "Henh…"

L turned to Luffy with a grin. "Can you say triple?"

Finally standing from the uppercut, D growled at them. "You're going down…"

"Of course I can! Triple!" yelled Luffy as he fumed and stamped his foot.

Snorting into laughter, L shook his head at Luffy. "I mean let's do a triple bazooka!"

D began to stumble towards them, his vision beginning to blur. "Oh!" exclaimed Luffy as he grinned.

Groaning, Nami face palmed as she drooped. N smiled warmly as she gave a small breathy laugh, liking the silliness L was displaying.

Grinning, Monkey-san stretched his arms back, preparing for a bazooka. "Gomu Gomu no…!"

Also grinning, Luffy chuckled as he stretched his arms out as well. "Gomu Gomu no…!"

Also chuckling and grinning, L did the same. "Gomu Gomu no…!"

Stopping and blinking his eyes at them, D's eyes widened. He didn't think he could take a triple hit. He brought his arms up to block, but wasn't sure it would do any good. "You little shits, I'm gonna rip you apart!"

"Triple Bazooka!!"

All three hit him with their massive attack. "Ga-ah!" he cried as he went flying back several feet, tearing through more trees before slamming into a large boulder. He then slid to the ground, unconscious.

Panting, all three dropped to their knees in their exhaustion. Grinning and cheering, the crew ran towards them. Grinning as he panted, Luffy looked up towards D's unconscious form as he lay on the ground.

"We did it…"

**To Be Continued…**

**Author's Note: **How you guys like that?! XD Did you guys recognize the fourth Luffy?! Nami said it plain as day! XP Yes, the fourth Luffy was Alastair's Luffy from her fic _Dreamless_, and, of course, her Nami as well. Monkey-san and Na-chan! XD We got together and RPed this fight. She told me it would be cool to merge her Luffy into the story, seeing as Nate had the ability to travel to different worlds. And I had to agree…that's cool! XD Her story is AU, so it fit perfect. She said she was also going to some how fit all of this in her story as well. She also helped to edit this story to make sure it all worked and fit, seeing as it was our super, secret project! XP No one even knew about it. I really hope you all enjoyed it! Please review and tell us both what you thought! XD

**P.S.** Ah, as for the problem I was referring to at the beginning, that wasn't writer's block, was waiting on Al to get this done and edited correctly! XD –Shakes a fist at Al- Darn you Al, darn you!

**P.S.S. **Con smells.

**P.S.S.S. **AL SMELLS LIKE OLD MOLDY CHEEZ.


	16. Chapter 16: Who's Different?

Crossed

**Author's Note: **Yay for chapter 16! XD This one took some thought. Anyways, here it is! XD I really hope you all enjoy it! The end is nearing…I am saddened…It always makes me sad when I'm about to end a story…However, at least I end my stories…I've read a lot that have yet to end…-Clears throat- -heather- -Cough- Anyways, please read, enjoy, and then review! XD

**Crossed**

**Chapter 16: Who's Different?**

"Luffy, you guys did it!"

Laughing loudly, Luffy took the hug whole-heartedly from his little reindeer doctor, but then winced from the pain as he set him down with a grin.

"Ah! I'm sorry!" Chopper exclaimed as he frowned.

"Shishishi, it's okay!"

Standing up with some difficulty, Luffy turned to his crew with his massive grin.

"Luffy!" N cried as she went straight for L, who was still on his knees panting. His eye had swollen shut from his injury. "Oh, your eye!" She cried as more tears formed.

"I'll be alright, Nami…" He replied with a smile.

"Ah! Let me take a look at it!" Chopper cried in worry as he made his way to L, leaving Luffy where he stood.

Everyone gathered around L with frowns, wanting to get a look at his eye. Sighing deeply, Luffy remained where he was, feeling exhausted. Leaning forward slightly, he tried to calm his racing heart and relax his body. That had been a difficult battle.

Suddenly, Luffy was jumped from behind.

"Gah!!" He exclaimed as he stumbled forward.

"_You think you can stop me that easily_?!" D screamed as he latched onto Luffy's back.

Gasping, the entire crew turned to see D latched tightly onto Luffy. His expression was beyond reason. He had a horrible grin as he began to laugh atop of Luffy.

Quickly turning to Luffy, L frowned, not believing what he was seeing. "Mother fu-!"

"Luffy!" Nami cried, interrupting L, as she stepped forward.

However, both Sanji's had grabbed their Nami each and pulled them far away from the fight, the rest of the crew following. Zoro stepped forward and quickly snatched up Na-chan before following.

"Get off!" Luffy yelled as he thrashed around, trying to loosen his hold. Pulling back a fist, D began to jab Luffy's side. "_Gah_!" He cried as he stumbled around.

Coming up from behind, Monkey-san elbowed D's back to try and dislodge him from Luffy. "Guh!" D exclaimed as his hold loosened.

It was enough for Luffy to unwrap his arms and toss him over his shoulders. Landing on his back, D immediately kicked up to his feet, turning to rush at Luffy. Some how, his speed had increased. Not being able to block in time, Luffy was tackled, landing on his back, D on top. Leaning up, he then began to punch Luffy in the face repeatedly as he laughed uncontrollably.

Frowning as she covered her mouth, Nami knew he had slipped into his insane side. Closing her eyes, she tried to close out his horrible laughter.

"He really is insane…" Usopp whispered as he watched in horrified disbelief.

Running forward, both L and Monkey-san grabbed each of his arms to pull him off from Luffy. Yanking his arms forward, he pulled both with him, tossing them to the ground ahead of him. Sliding to a stop, they quickly turned and got up. Lunging forward, L tackled D to the ground, beginning to punch him. However, D caught both of his wrists, and then shoved him off. His speed and strength seemed to have doubled. Getting up, blood flowing from his nose, Luffy leapt onto D and began punching him as he screamed out.

Lifting up a leg, he hooked it around Luffy, slamming him into the ground, and then he pulled himself over Luffy. Grabbing Luffy's face, he lifted up his head before slamming it into the rock, hard ground below. "Gah!" Luffy exclaimed as he spit up blood.

"Oh my…" N whispered as she covered her mouth with her hand as tears formed. It was just too much to watch. She hated this so much. She didn't like seeing them all get so hurt. They were going to kill each other.

Covering her face completely, Nami sunk to the ground as she drooped forward. "Please stop…" She whispered more to herself. Taking in a loud breath as she clenched her teeth and eyes shut tight, she felt a sob escape her lips. "_Please stop_!!" She cried out at the top of her lungs. She was feeling pain. It was almost as if she could feel their pain, feel his pain.

Frowning, Sanji knelt down next to her and began to rub her back. "Everything will be alright, Nami-san…You'll see…" He said soothingly.

No longer being able to hear much of anything in his state, D continued to laugh as he slammed Luffy's head into the ground. Getting up, L ran over and kicked D in the face, letting his leg whip out as he did. "Get off of him, you psychotic asshole!"

"Gah!" D exclaimed as he flew off from Luffy. Rolling, he dug his fingers into the dirt to stop himself.

Reaching down quickly, L pulled Luffy onto his feet. Stumbling and swaying, Luffy tried his best to stay on his feet. "Gotta keep on your feet!" L said as he turned towards D.

Frowning deeply, Luffy also turned to D as he nodded, still swaying a bit as he wiped up the blood with his arm. Monkey-san stepped up beside them, panting hard. Grinning up at them maniacally, D continued to laugh low, but crazily. "This is the most fun I've ever had!" He exclaimed as he quickly got to his feet, charging at them again.

"Shit, we have to do something!" L yelled as he turned to his counterparts.

"Like what?!" Luffy replied, not sure what to do. However, whatever it was, it needed to be done quickly. His vision was beginning to blur from all the damage to his head. Even though he was made of rubber, his other counterpart had managed to really hurt him.

Panting and closing one eye, Monkey-san continued to stare at the fast approaching psychopath. "Let's do that neat trick you guys did earlier. I wanna try it this time! It looked fun! I can't turn all red and steamy, but I can still get thrown, right?"

Both turned to Monkey-san with wide, blank eyes before turning to each other. However, before they could reply, they had to defend themselves against D's onslaught of attacks. Lunging forward, all three tried to attack him at once as he threw his own punches at them. One of D's punches caught Monkey-san, sending him flying back. Grabbing the back of D's head, Luffy brought up his knee, ramming it into D's face. His head flying back from the impact, his blood splattered across Luffy's face.

"Gungh!" D exclaimed through clenched teeth as a hand flew to his nose.

Whipping his leg around, L kicked D on the side of his head, sending him flying to the left. Stumbling back to the three, Monkey-san stopped next to them. "We gotta pull it off now while he's down!"

Nodding, both Luffy and L began to steam up as their skin turned red. Then Luffy brought a thumb to his mouth, biting down before blowing into it. Sprinting forward, L much faster due to gear second, both turned in preparation for Luffy's fists. Bringing the second thumb to his mouth, Luffy frowned deeply. It would be the first time he tried doing two at once, but it was worth a shot. Surprisingly, he was able to pull it off. Pulling both fists back with great difficulty, he then pulled them back forward in a bazooka form.

Grabbing Monkey-san first, he continued pushing his massive fists forward, finally grabbing a hold of L. Both got into position in his hands, ready to leap out at L. Standing up, D scowled at them before he tried to dodge.

"Gomu Gomu no…Double Giant Jet Catapult!"

Before D could attempt to run away to dodge, L shot out from Luffy's hand, slamming into him, both tumbling around. Flying out from the ground, and from the sheer force of the shove, D slammed into a tree. Before he could slide down it, Monkey-san then took his turn as he shot out from Luffy's massive fist and rammed into him, breaking the tree in half.

"Ga-ah!" D screamed as he flew, tumbling like a rag doll in the air, before hitting the ground hard.

Flipping to his feet, L stumbled around, trying to keep himself steady. However, he tripped up in his weakened state, and fell forward onto his hands and knees. Coming to a rolling stop himself, Monkey-san leaned up on his elbows, breathing in heavy pants as he looked up to see if he stayed down this time. Panting as well, D blinked his eyes and shook his head as he leaned up onto his own elbows.

"F-uck!" L yelled in frustration as he frowned deeply at D.

Twitching slightly, N frowned at his curse. One thing she knew about L was, when he got really angry, he cursed shamelessly. It was his small quirk.

Taking deep, shaky breaths, Luffy sat on his rump in his chibi form as he scowled at D. Turning to Luffy, L frowned. He knew Luffy would need protecting. Getting up quickly, he made his way to him. Turning, Monkey-san also made his way to Luffy.

Scowling, D quickly got up and bolted straight for Luffy. "Ke!" L exclaimed as he looked over towards D. However, he didn't stop running as he picked up his pace towards Luffy.

Getting up, Luffy tried to run away from D, but his little legs didn't carry him far. "Damn!" He exclaimed as he tried to run faster.

Grabbing Luffy by the head, he then kicked L as L finally made it to them, but too late. L went flying, disappearing into the many trees around them. Jutting out his shoulder, he rammed into Monkey-san, who had also just made it there, and then slammed him against a tree, almost snapping it in two.

"Guhah!" Monkey-san cried out as he hacked up blood, his eyes rolling back, turning completely white. Sliding down to the ground, he slumped forward, unconscious.

"Lemme go!!" Luffy yelled angrily as he reached up, trying to pry D's hand off from his head.

"Luffy!" N, Na-chan and Nami cried out for each Luffy as they watched in horror.

Lifting up Luffy, who kicked his small legs with a scowl, D then smirked slowly.

"Lemme go, you jerk!"

"Let you go?" D asked in an amused voice as his smirk widened.

Blinking as he stared at D wide-eyed, he had a really bad feeling about this. Cackling low in his throat, D's lips spread into a sickly grin as he threw back his head in his maniacal laughter, his eyes crazed. Sweat beading down his face, Luffy clenched his teeth down tightly. Then suddenly, D threw back his arm, and then threw Luffy as hard as he could towards the trees. Crying out as he hit branches that scratched up his face, Luffy reached out, trying to grab a hold of one.

Latching onto the tree, he clung to it and climbed up a bit. He could see everything through the leaves and braches. However, it seemed they couldn't see him. He watched as D slowly turned to the crew, both Zoro's removing their swords instantly, as the Sanji's pushed all three Nami's behind them.

"Damn!" He seethed quietly to himself. There wasn't much of anything he could do while in his chibi form.

Lifting his arms, D looked around him as he smirked at the crew. "Looks like I win."

"Like hell, you psychopathic freak!" Zoro yelled as he placed Wadō Ichimonji in his mouth with a glare.

"Looks like we gotta try and hold him off until one of them wakes up…" Z said with a frown as he glanced over at the unconscious Monkey-san.

"Luffy…" Na-chan whispered as she stared at Monkey-san with worry.

"Aa…" Zoro agreed as he got into position.

Both Zoro's and D lunged for each other, D laughing maniacally as he did. Easily dodging their swings, he jabbed his fist first into Zoro's kidney before turning and catching Z in the face. Zoro stumbled to the side as he clenched down on Wadō Ichimonji tighter. Zoro rolled around and fell to the ground with a grunt. Turning to the rest of the group, D kept his massive crazy grin as he made his way to them. Sanji swiftly lunged forward, throwing a leg at his head. Franky aimed his arm cannon at D in preparation.

Cackling low in his throat, he grabbed Sanji's leg and shoved him away effortlessly as he kept his eyes on the three orange haired women. "Weapon's Left!" Franky yelled as he fired his cannon.

Swiftly dodging to the side and squatting to the ground, D only began to laugh harder as he rushed Franky, knocking him back easy. Both Usopp's squealed in fear as they moved away from D quickly before trying to fire lead balls at him. Turning to them, he took the pegs with little to no problem as he chuckled at them. Squealing again, both ran as fast as they could away from him.

S stood with a shaky breath, holding out his arms as he tried his best to hold the women behind him protectively. Frowning at D, Nami's expression turned sad as she stared at him.

"Santōryū…Oni Giri!!"

Turning, a strong wave hit D as he brought up his arms to block the attack and cuts. He ground his teeth when he felt the blads slice his arms. Zoro continued his charge forward as he swiped at D with his swords. D only laughed as he pranced around, dodging the swings with little effort.

"Damn it! You Bastard!" Zoro yelled as he began to sweat. He wasn't making any contact at all.

Getting up, Z wiped the blood from his mouth as he lunged forward to join Zoro's assault. Luffy ground his teeth as he watched from his place in the tree. He was still small and had no idea when he would go back to normal. He had pushed it going twice in one day into gear third. Only able to watch his crew helpless, his expression turned pained. He only hoped they could hold him off long enough for him to go back to normal without getting themselves killed.

Crawling on his elbows, L made his way over the roots of the trees with his left eye still sealed shut. His other eye's vision blurry from the pain he was in. Glancing up at the crew trying their best to fight, he clenched his teeth down tightly. "F-uck…mother fucking bastard…" He seethed in his irritation and close failure as he spit blood from out of his mouth to the ground.

Turning to the voice, all three Nami's eyes widened before N smiled and teared in relief. "Luffy!" She cried in a loud whisper. However, she frowned when she noticed his state.

Panting heavily, he tried his best to push himself onto his feet, swaying heavily. He grabbed a hold of a tree to steady himself. Jolting forwad, but stopping herself, N remained where she was, knowing it was the best thing to do. She might make things worse if she went to him. "Luffy…"

Laughing loudly, he grabbed Zoro by the face, slamming him against Z. Crying out from the pain and from Z's sword piercing his arm, Zoro stumbled back and fell to his back as he immediately grabbed for his arms, his swords dropping and rocking on the ground.

"Damn!" Z exclaimed as he stumbled on his feet.

Running forward, Sanji jumped up, kicking D in the chest. "Guh!" D exclaimed through clenched teeth as he glared at Sanji. He grabbed him by the throat mid-air before slamming a fist into his face. Then he tossed him to the side.

"Gungh!" Sanji exclaimed as he hit the ground and spit out blood. Then he turned up to D with an angry glare. "Shitty….bastard!" He cried breathlessly as he tried to get to his feet again.

Stumbling forward and then breaking into a weak run, L cried out angrily as he pulled his fist back. Turning with a wide smirk, D began to laugh, getting excited that finally someone a bit more challenging finally stepped up again.

"Come on!!" He yelled at L as he motioned with both arms to himself.

"Fucking asshole, I'm gonna rip you apart!!" L screamed as he threw his fist forward.

"Come on then!!" D screamed in return, never losing his psychotic grin. Running forward, he grabbed L's fist and pulled him forward. Grabbing his shoulders, he then rammed a knee right in between L's legs.

"F—uck!!" L cried as he fell to his knees, his hands immediately going to his crotch.

Laughing, D pulled his leg back and kicked L right in the face at close range. His head flying back as his feet flew over his head, he flew some distance before slamming into a broken stump, and then went limp.

"_Luffy_!" N screamed as she began to cry.

"Shit…this is bad…" Luffy whispered as his expression turned pained. "Come on!!" He cried to his body between clenched teeth. Jumping down regardless, he fell to his hands and knees before getting up and hobbling over to the others. He couldn't just sit around and wait.

"Cheap bastard!" Z yelled angrily as he sprinted forward, swords drawn out. Turning, D jumped up, swinging his leg around for a kick as he caught Z's head. He flew to the side right into Sanji who had been running forward. Both rolled onto the ground in a jumbled mess, Z dropping his swords.

"O-i!" Luffy cried as he ran into the clearing.

"Luffy!" Nami cried in surprise. Then she frowned deeply. He was still small. Shaking her head, her eyes widened. "Luffy, no!" She cried. She knew he could be killed easily like that.

Turning to Luffy, D's grinned turned nasty as he cackled low. "Look what we have here…Think you will be able to do somethin' to me like that?"

"Doesn't matter! I'll kick your ass any way I am!"

Throwing back his head, D laughed loudly in his psychotic glee as he grabbed his stomach. "That's really funny! Well come on, you little shit! Come and get some!"

Baring his clenched teeth, Luffy ran forward with a battle cry as he charged for D. However, as he charged, he poofed back to normal, stumbling on his feet again before getting his footing back. Grinning, he picked up his speed as he threw back an arm, "Gomu Gomu no…Bullet!"

Dodging the attack, D moved to his side as he charged at Luffy, however, wasn't expecting the jab that greeted his face from Luffy's other fist. "Ngh!" He exclaimed through clenched teeth as his head flew back, his arms rising up as he fell backwards.

Grabbing one of those arms, Luffy yanked him forward as he headbutt his nose. "Gungh!" D exclaimed as blood shot from his nose.

Lifting his leg, he pulled it to his chest before kicking D square in the chest, releasing his arm and letting him fly back. Landing on his back, his feet flew over his head as he skid across the ground. Lifting his head, he glared up at Luffy hatefully. "Son of a _bitch_…" He seethed, blood spraying from his mouth.

Snorting, Luffy shook his head at D as he glared at him. "Shoulda known you didn't care about our mother…"

Standing up slowly, he scowled at Luffy with deeply furrowed brows in his hatred. His eyes were so dark and foreboding. "I don't give a shit about anyone…I stopped caring a long, fuckin' time ago…"

Baring his teeth a bit, Luffy's brows furrowed further. "Maybe it's just you who's the bitch…"

Scowling deeper, D bared his teeth at Luffy in anger. Bringing her hands to her head, Nami shut her eyes tightly. Her heart ached fiercely. So much blood, so much damage…so much hate. Looking back up at D, her expression contorted in her painful grief. "Stop it…"She whispered quietly.

Sprinting forward, D drew back his fist to attack Luffy. Doing the same, Luffy stretched his out for his attack. However, his eyes widened and his arm snapped back into place when a body suddenly leapt out at D. Eyes widening, D came to an abrupt stop as his heels dug into the ground. He blinked down at a head full of orange hair.

"_Stop it_! _Please_!" She screamed through her sobs as she held his torso tightly. "Please…Don't fight anymore!" She cried.

Stumbling as his head spun, he continued to blink down at her in confusion. Swaying heavily, his eyes hooded in exhaustion as his adrenaline began to leave his body, his sanity beginning to return.

"Please…You don't have to fight anymore…" She whispered against his chest, his heart pounding in her ears. Then his eyes rolled back as he completely went limp on her arms, dragging them both to the ground. "Ah!" She exclaimed in surprise as she looked up at him as she was dragged to the ground. She kept her hold on him as he leaned against her.

Looking up at her as he laid limp against her, he attempted a frown. "S-Stupid…fucking…bitch…" He breathed out quietly.

"You don't have to fight anymore…Please…You're strong enough…No one will ever hurt you again…" She whispered down at him as tears began to drip from her eyes to his face. "You don't have to suffer anymore…"

"I have…to be stronger…"

"You are strong…No one can hurt you…Not anymore…Please, don't do this anymore…" She whispered as she hicupped.

"Don't…want…your sympathy…Mind…your own…damn busniess…woman…"

Frowning deeply in a scowl, Luffy watched as they spoke quietly to each other. He couldn't hear anything that was being said. Clenching his fists tightly, he walked forward. "Nami…" He said in a quiet, hard voice.

Cringing at the sound of his voice, Nami frowned, but didn't turn to him. Breathing heavily, D's eyes finally slid shut and his head falling to the side against her chest. He had passed out. Closing her eyes tightly, more tears dripped down to his face as she gave him a squeeze. Everyone frowned as they watched her, more than confused about her behavior. They had figured she would be more than willing to get away from him.

N looked at her sadly, understanding completely why she did what she did. She had a feeling Nami knew a lot more than they all may have thought. She did spend almost two months with this man. She was bound to have found out, at least, something about him.

Reaching down, Luffy grabbed her arm, pulling her up and away from D. He fell to the ground on his side, once she was no longer their to support him. Gasping, she quickly looked up at Luffy with a confused frown. He pulled her close, his frown still in place. "Go back to the others." He said in a cool, quiet voice as he turned her and gave her a faint shove towards the others.

Finally snapping out of it, Na-chan finally turned to Monkey-san. "Luffy!" She called as she ran to him.

Still frowning as she looked from Luffy and to Nami, N turned her body and made her way to L before finally pulling her eyes away from them. Kneeling next to him, she, feather light, ran her fingers over his swollen eye. "Luffy." She called to him in a whisper.

His eyes squeezed shut before his good eye blinked open. Then his hand immediately flew to his eye. Running forward, Chopper leaned over L. "Let me look at your eye!"

Groaning, he blinked his good eye as he turned to Chopper and then nodded. He was still in a bit of a daze. "It looks horrible…His skin is all red and purple around it…" N said as she started to cry for him.

"I'll be alright, Nami…" He said quietly. His head was pounding.

"It looks like your blood clotted around the opening…I'm going to have the drain the blood that's stuck inside…If not, it could ruin your eye." Chopper explained. Removing his back pack, he dug around pulling out a small knife, some gauze and disinfectant.

"Luffy…" Na-chan called as she dropped to her knees next to him. "Luffy…" She called softly again when he didn't wake up. Reaching out, she shooked his shoulder gently. "Luffy, wake up!" Groaning, Monkey-san clenched his eyes tighter, before finally slowly opening them. Shifting them around, he jolted up before making a noise in his throat from the pain. "Luffy, are you all right?" Na-chan asked.

Looking at her, he then blinked. Then he looked around, finally spotting D laying some feet away from him. "Huh? What happened?" He asked as he glanced over at L who was being treated by the strange little creature. Then he turned to Luffy who was glaring down at D. "Did he win?" He asked as he continued to look at Luffy.

"Uh… not exactly…" Na-chan replied with a bit of a frown as she glanced over to Nami, who was sitting on a tree stump, looking miserable.

He blinked at Na-chan before looking over at Nami, completely confused, "Eh?"

Turning back to him she just smiled and shook her head. "I really don't know what's going on."

"We should tie him up before he wakes up." L said as he shifted his good eye to D as Chopper looked over his eye. "Ow! Fuck!" He yelled as Chopper cut a small hole to allow the blood to drain out.

"S-Sorry…" Chopper said as he pouted at L.

"N-No, it's okay. I'm sorry." L said as he frowned.

Getting to his feet with Na-chan's help, Monkey-san then turned to L. "We've got some rope you can use to tie 'im up. I'll go get it."

"No, you stay here. I'll go get it." Na-chan said as she turned and began to run.

Turning to N, L frowned. "N, what happened?" He asked.

Expression turning a bit sad, she turned to look at Nami. Then she turned back to L. "She some how managed to get him to stop…" She whispered with a frown.

Scrunching up his face, he looked completely confused. "What?!"

"Shh!" She said shushing him. Quickly turning to Nami and Luffy, only Nami was frowning at them. Frowning herself, she turned back to L with her frown.

Leaning towards her, he blinked down at her with his own frown. "What are you talking about?! How did she get that maniac to just stop?!" He asked in a loud whisper.

Chopper frowned as he looked up at L, still trying to patch up his eye. "Please don't move…"

"Sorry." L said as he looked at Chopper before turning back to N.

"N, what are you talking about? Tell me exactly what happened." He said in a whisper.

Sighing, she proceeded to tell her everything that had happened. "I'm not really sure why he stopped though…" She explained at the end.

Frowning deeply, he turned to look at Nami. '_What does this mean_…?' He thought to himself.

Na-chan finally made it back with the rope, handing it to Luffy before frowning down at D. Then she went back to Monkey-san, whom Chopper was now examining. Frowning deeply down at D, Luffy then knelt down and roughly pulled him up, starting to wrap the rope around him. Walking up, L began to help him. Watching with a sad expression, Nami hugged herself before looking away.

After they wrapped the rope around him tightly and tied a tight not, Luffy lifted him up and tossed him to the side roughly. Clenching her eyes tightly, Nami refused to look at him. Finally turning to the others, he then shifted his eyes to Monkey-san. Forcing a grin onto his face, he then approached Monkey-san, who watched his approach.

"Thanks a lot for your help! I shoulda known you wouldn't sit back! We were able to take him out because of you." Luffy said as he stopped in front of him.

He blinked at Luffy, staring blankly in thought before he pointed at him accusingly, "Wait a minute, you ruined Nami's trees!"

Looking up, Na-chan directed her gaze toward Monkey-san in confusion.

Blinking in confusion as well, Luffy tilted his head. "Ah...?"

Frowning, Monkey-san said, "You guys gotta help put 'em back together."

"E-h?!" Luffy exclaimed as well as the crew.

Forcing a smile, Nami stood up and stepped forward. "Alright, it's the least we can do for making the mistake of coming here. It is our fault all of your trees were ruined."

"Eh? Nami!" Luffy exclaimed.

Frowning, she turned to Luffy. "We help!"

"That's right!" Monkey-san turned to L, pointing at him as well, "And you too!"

Chuckling, L nodded. "Of course we will help."

"Right now or the trees'll die." Turning to the orchard, Monkey-san immediately set to work, and began to straighten and pull the trees upright in the soil.

Blinking, Luffy watched in confusion. Everyone else spread out in the field, both Usopp's making sure the Zoro's didn't get lost. He watched Monkey-san, blinking with a blank expression. Nami went to Nate to help him over to where Na-chan stood.

"Sit here. You shouldn't be moving around so much. Your leg isn't completely healed." She said.

"But I can help. This is all my fault anyway…" Nat replied with a frown.

"Nonsense…please sit. You need to stay off your leg…" Nami said as she frowned at him. After awhile, he sighed and resigned with a nod, allowing her to sit him next to Na-chan.

As Monkey-san was beginning to prepare the rows, he looked over to see the unmoving Luffy before he frowned. Breaking away from the others, Monkey-san cracked his knuckles while his face almost looked decidedly D-ish, "Get to work."

"Eeee!" Luffy screeched as he scampered off into the field. He knelt down next to a tree, but only stared down at it in confusion. He had no idea what to do...As he began trying to fix it, he only seemed to make it worse.

"Oi!" Monkey-san punched the top of his head, and then gave him a shovel, "Just dig a hole for this row."

"Gah!" Luffy exclaimed as he squat down further, grabbing his head. Then he scowled up at Monkey-san. "Don't hit me! It's not my fault! I've never buried trees! I'm a pirate! Not a farmer!"

"If you can dig a hole, you can plant anything. Everyone's a farmer!" He poked Luffy's stomach with the handle of the shovel, "Start digging."

Growling in irritation, Luffy snatched the shovel away and started digging a hole. However, no one ever told him how deep he needed to dig...So he just kept digging...

"Ah! Oi!" Grabbing the spade as it came up, Monkey-san pulled him straight up out of the hole since Luffy was still holding onto the other end, "How do you expect a tree to get any sun in that dark hole?"

"Gah!" Luffy cried in surprise as he wrapped himself around the shovel to keep from falling. Then he scowled at Monkey-san, "Well you never said how deep the hole had to be!"

Sighing, Nami stood and went over to both. "Alright, alright, calm down both of you...I will help him dig the holes and re-plant the trees..."

"It's not your fault though," Monkey-san said, and then he shook the shovel hard, "It's theirs!"

"Oi!" Luffy yelled as Monkey-san shook him, keeping his hold on the shovel as he dangled above the hole.

After a moment, he stopped shaking the shovel, and then pointed at the poor trees, "Half a meter, all right? That'll give the roots plenty of room."

"Ne, ne...It's not their fault either...It's his..." replied Nami as she nodded towards the unconscious D with a frown. "I will help him. I'm afraid no matter what you tell him...he will still do it wrong..." she continued as she turned to Luffy. '_Quite frankly, I'm surprised __**you**__ can even do it..._'

Pulling Luffy out, Monkey-san whisked the shovel out of his hands, twirling it down to smash the spade atop of Luffy's head, "No, he can do it. If he can follow some ridiculous dream to the end of the ocean, he can dig a damn hole, and plant a tree."

"Gah! Damn it! That hurt! You wanna fight?! And whose dream is ridiculous! You _Dreamless_ farm boy!"

Frowning a bit, Nami drooped and sighed again. Closing her eyes, she shrugged before returning to her spot.

"I want you to grow up!" Monkey-san said, shoving the spade under Luffy's nose, "Now save Nami's trees, bub."

"Grow up?! Why you...?!" seethed Luffy as he stepped forward.

"Oi, oi, oi! Okay, enough...Just start diggin' Luffy, alright...It's not that hard...I've never done it, but look, I've planted three already..." said L as he pointed to three perfectly planted trees.

Puffing out his cheeks, Luffy snatched the shovel and began to dig as he grumbled to himself. Nami and N smiled at them from their places. Na-chan smiled faintly, sitting down next to Nate to watch them at work while she hugged her knees. The smile was rather fond and amused as her eyes followed Monkey-san.

Grinning, Monkey-san slapped L's back, "If you're done talking, there's more trees over there that need help."

Chuckling, L grinned back and then made his way to the trees. Luffy turned, with his cheeks puffed as he watched Monkey-san walk away. Growling and grumbling, he lifted the shovel and snuck behind him.

"Luffy..."

Stopping in his tracks, he turned to Nami as he hid the shovel behind his back. Nami wasn't even looking at him. "Just dig the hole please..."

Quickly turning, he took a deep hard breath as he dug another hole. Monkey-san went back to straightening the trees before he dealt with the more ruined of the lot. One tree in particular seemed rather thrashed, and he frowned as he inspected the split boughs, and broken branches. After a moment, he pulled off his shirt, and began to tear it in strips.

Turning back towards Monkey-san, Luffy watched with a deep frown before it slowly disappeared. He blinked as he watched him work. He seemed to really care about these trees. Looking down at the ruined trees, he then sighed. He remembered him saying the trees had been for Nami, his own Nami. His other selves, minus D, seemed to do a lot for their Nami's. He, himself, didn't really do much of anything. He couldn't even plant a tree right...

When Monkey-san finished tying together where the tree had been broken, he smiled at the almost well appearance of the tree before he straightened it alongside the others and turning to inspect their work. He tilted his head at the slightly hunched back of Luffy before he walked toward him to help prepare the hole.

"See, you can do it."

"Aa..." Luffy replied as he continued digging the hole. He was only half paying attention.

"You don't just dig a hole, and plop a seed into the ground, and hope it does something. You gotta take care of that seed. It's just like your silly dreams. If you don't do anything for it, it'll never happen, and that seed will never grow into a tree, or even produce fruit." Monkey-san explained.

Stopping, Luffy turned a frown to Monkey-san. "My dreams...are _not_ silly..."

Then he seemed to deflate as he let a breath out. Turning, he then began digging a new hole. He was right about one thing though...You can't just dig a hole, plop a seed into the ground, and hoped it grew...He shifted his eyes to the side in Nami's direction before shifting them back to the hole.

"They're silly to me." Monkey-san said, and then he picked his nose.

Frowning deeper, Luffy turned back to Monkey-san. "Yeah...well I think it's sad that you don't have a dream...At least I believe in something and in myself to accomplish that dream!"

"You don't have to believe in yourself just to make dreams come true. I have other stuff I need to do, things that need to be done. I have ... a tree," Then Monkey-san winked at him, "I'm hoping it'll have lots of fruit soon."

Luffy stared at him for awhile with slightly parted lips, before closing them and furrowing his brows deeper still. Then he looked away and slowly began to dig another hole. "Well good for you and your...tree..." he mumbled.

"What about your tree? Or is it just a seed?"

Pausing, Luffy stared down at the hole for a long while before moving again. "I don't even think it's a seed...just...a hole..."

Monkey-san frowned, "What's the point of dreaming if you can't do a simple thing like that?"

"Shut up!! What do you know anyway?!" Luffy yelled angrily as he turned on Monkey-san. Then he took a quick sigh, keeping his frown as he turned his attention back on the hole.

Nami looked up and frowned at them, wondering what they were talking about, and what had upset Luffy so much. It seemed different from when Monkey-san had been getting after him earlier. Crossing her legs, Na-chan glanced at the other two, a bit curious.

Monkey-san stuck his tongue out at him, and pulled down his eyelid, "Fix Nami's trees already."

Ignoring him, Luffy sighed again and continued to dig holes, like he had been told. Monkey-san snorted, and stood up to start arranging the trees into their holes, taking extra care with the tree that had been ruined the most.

Luffy continued digging his holes until someone told him to stop. "I'm no farmer..." he whispered more to himself.

Beginning to pack the dirt into the holes, Monkey-san grinned at the lot, "Not too bad."

Shrugging, Luffy continued on his current hole. "Are we done yet...?"

Monkey-san blinked at him before he grinned, digging into his pocket, "I don't have _that many _trees, you know."

Stopping, Luffy then threw the shovel down. Then he squatted down and stared at the tress there. "How do you do it...? How do you...get them to grow...?"

Monkey-san showed Luffy the seed he had taken from his pocket, and smiled, "You gotta plant it first."

Glancing to the seed, Luffy blinked at it for awhile before reaching over and taking the seed.

"If that tree dies, that'll replace it." Monkey-san explained.

Blinking down at the seed, Luffy then frowned a bit. Then he shifted his eyes to the barely hanging on tree. These Luffy's all around him were so different from him. It was a little weird that he was talking to himself. However, he had kinda gotten used to it, seeing as he had been talking to L this whole time. However, this conversation was a lot different from the conversations he had with L. Although, even this Luffy beside him had managed to build a relationship with his Nami, he had not.

Monkey-san turned away then, rubbing the back of his head nervously as he went toward Na-chan. "Aah, I didn't think you'd see it before it was all ready ..."

"That's alright." Na-chan said, tilting her head at Luffy before smiling at Monkey-san. "So they're mine?"

Placing his arms on his knees, Luffy then set his chin on his arms as he rolled the seed around in his fingers. He continued to stare down at the little tree. All he had to do was plant the seed in that hole...and a tree would grow. However, the tree needed to be tended to. Could he make his tree grow and bear lots of fruit? Did he want fruit? He buried half his face into his arms as he continued to stare down at the tree.

"Yup!" Monkey-san grinned, and sat down beside her to kiss her cheek, taking her hand in his.

Giggling, Na-chan leaned against him, "What's the occasion?"

Monkey-san scratched his head, looking away, "It'sasecret."

Glancing over at Monkey-san and Na-chan, Nami frowned as she watched them. Then she looked away with a sigh.

Looking over from them to Nami, N also frowned. "I still don't really understand...I'm sure you have your reasons...and probably don't understand us..."

Turning to N, Nami blinked a bit before frowning again. "I guess it is a little weird to me...This whole ordeal has been weird...I'm just really glad to be back with my friends...but..."

"But?"

"I don't know...how to explain...about _him_..." Nami said as she shifted her eyes to D. He was still lying unconscious. He looked just like Luffy, so peaceful as he slept.

Frowning, N quickly turned to look at D as well. "What do you mean...?"

"He's so sad...and angry...I don't hate him..."

Making a small noise, N quickly turned back to Nami with a frown of confusion. "What...?" Honestly, N didn't hate him either, but she was surprised to hear that Nami didn't. She had after all spent that time with him, and most like endured a great deal.

"Secret?" Na-chan frowned, and reached over to pull on his cheek, "Why won't you tell me?"

"I'ts a secret! I can't tell! I can't tell!"

"Oh, yes, you will!"

Blinking a bit, both N and Nami turned back to the pair. Snorting, Nami looked away with a smile. "I guess they aren't so different from us."

Sweat beaded down N's face. Not once had she ever had to do that to L.

Turning as well, Luffy grinned as he watched them. "I guess your tree has thorns, shishishi!"

"Tree!? I'm a _tree_, am I?" Na-chan tackled Monkey-san into the dirt, who then yelped.

Laughing, Luffy pointed to Monkey-san in his amusement. Frowning, Nami turned back to Luffy. _'What had they been talking about_?'

Noticing Nami, Luffy blinked as he became nervous and quickly turned back to the hole. Last thing he needed was thorns poking at him.

Monkey-san burst into laughter as Na-chan began to tickle him, "You tell me your little secret now!"

Blinking as her eyes widened, Nami quickly turned when Monkey-san started laughing. Luffy also turned as his lips slightly parted and his eyes widened. Then his brows furrowed as he released his breath, and then turned back to the tree with a frown. N smiled at the two fondly before looking over at L. He too was smiling at the two before looking at her.

Shifting her eyes to N and then to L, Nami frowned before looking down and refocusing on the trees. At least she was used to planting and tending to them. At that thought, she glanced up and looked around.

N frowned when she noticed both Nami and Luffy's expressions. It seemed they were the only two who were different from them.

"It's my secret! I get to keep it!" Monkey-san said between laughter.

Huffing, Na-chan stopped, pouting down at him, "Be nice, and tell me already!"

"This is Cocoyashi...isn't it?" Nami said, looking around further, and then looked in the direction of where Arlong would have been. "Did you guys get rid of Arlong? Where's the rest of the crew?"

Both crews glanced up, also curious about the answer.

"Arlong?" Monkey-san sat up, keeping Na-chan in his lap, "I kicked his ass a couple days ago."

Blinking a bit, Nami glanced around again, as if their crew would come out from anywhere. "A-Alone...?" Looking back at them, she blushed at where Na-chan was.

Also blinking, Luffy turned around and also glanced around.

"I had to," Monkey-san replied, "And what crew?"

Everyone glanced at each other, Luffy and Nami to their crew, L and N to theirs. Then Nami turned back to them. "Well...your crew...like our crews...You mean you've never met any of them...?" She asked as she pointed to their crew mates.

Pouting a bit, Luffy surged to his feet. "How did you do it alone?!" He yelled. He had even given Arlong a speech that day about not being able to survive alone without his crew. How could this Luffy have possibly done it alone?

Monkey-san frowned sternly at him, "I _had_ to do it, so I did it."

Blinking a bit, Nami lowered her arm. "So, then you really haven't met them...Have you?"

Plopping back down, Luffy crossed his arms with a pout.

Monkey-san scratched his cheek, "No, I guess not."

Na-chan pulled on his nose, "Now about that secret, mister."

"Aah, but, Nami, I wanted to surprise you with the trees and everything!"

"Well, I'm surprised, so tell me!"

Blinking a bit, Nami was also curious about this 'secret' of his. "I'm curious too..." She said as she narrowed her eyes a bit.

N also smiled. "I can't help but be a little curious myself..."

"Me too...What's so secretive about a buncha trees...?" said Luffy as he also narrowed his eyes.

Monkey-san stared at Luffy, pursing his lips at him before said lips formed into a grin. He turned to Na-chan, held her hands, and said, "I never pictured it like this, but you're always badgering me about everything, I guess I should have known you'd bug me about it."

"Of course," Na-chan said primly.

"Will you badger me for the rest of my life?"

Gasping, Nami's eyed widened as she stared at them wide eyed. Jaw hitting the floor, Luffy's eyes bugged. "No way?! You would want to spend the rest of your life being badgered?!"

The crew smacked their foreheads from their captain's stupidity.

Frowning, Nami turned to Luffy with an angry scowl. "Idiot..." She whispered before looking away.

N smiled at the two fondly, remembering the day L had asked her to marry him. He hadn't asked quite like that though...

L chuckled at them before looking over at Nami. Then he sighed as he looked over at Luffy. _'This must be really awkward for them_...'

"Why you ...!" Na-chan hit him over the head, starting to cry, "You ... you ...! You little ..."

"Eh!? What's wrong!? Why're you crying? Don't cry!" Monkey-san exclaimed.

Turning back to the two, Nami frowned a bit, as did N. N didn't understand why she was so upset at him.

Blinking, Luffy tilted his head as he watched.

Na-chan smiled slightly, trying to wipe at her eyes, "You're a jerk! Ever since I saw you, I knew you'd be trouble!"

Monkey-san began to smile, stroking her cheeks and hair. Blinking a bit, Nami also tilted her head. '_Had they met differently_?'

Frowning a bit, but keeping his wide blank eyes, Luffy tilted his head to the other side. "Eh?"

"Honestly! Can't ... can't even ask a woman to marry him in a normal way."

Monkey-san laughed, "Would you want it any different?"

"No," she replied, sniffling. "And yes ..." she began to smile little by little, "I ... I like badgering you."

Blushing a bit, Nami shifted her eyes away a bit. She felt really uncomfortable. Blinking more, his eyes blank, Luffy continued to watch. Then he tilted his head slowly to the other side. Was it really that easy...?

Monkey-san snickered, and nodded before he blinked and looked over Na-chan's shoulder, "Oi, pirate! Haven't you planted that thing? Trees take a long time to grow, you know!"

Pouting, Luffy huffed and grumbled incoherent curses as he turned around and dropped the damn seed into the hole. He had a feeling his other self was mocking him. Using his hands, he slowly closed the dirt around the seed. Then he sat back and stared down at it.

"Finally! I kept telling him all this stuff to get him to move, but he hardly budged! You really did have to badger me, didn't you?" Monkey-san asked Na-chan after his rant about Luffy.

"It seems it was well worth it." Na-chan glanced at the lot of them, beginning to realize she had made a little scene in front of them, and then blushed, "Ah ... well, I'd invite you all to the house, but it's not really uh ... there right now."

Blushing further, Nami brought her hands up. "No it's fin-_What_?! Not there?!"

N blinked with wide eyes as well. "N-Not there...?"

"We're gonna build a new one," Monkey-san said excitedly. "There's gonna be rooms, and three floors, and everything!"

"Two floors," Na-chan said.

"Four!"

"You mean...you're going to stay here?!" asked Luffy as he turned to them wide eyed.

"Build...a new one...?" whispered Nami as she stared at them in wide eyed disbelief.

"Yeah," Monkey-san said with a wide grin. "We gotta take care of the new orchard, and there's all the other new stuff we want to plant."

"Oh, yes! I'm going to get some strawberries, and Nojiko and I were thinking about cucumbers and watermelons after the first year. I mean, I won't be out there stealing anymore so we have to make a living for ourselves." Na-chan explained.

Blinking a bit, Nami really did see just how different they were. Or maybe it was just her and Luffy who were different from all of them…"I see...That sounds...um...nice..." She said with a nervous smile.

"That doesn't sound very fun...Where's the adventure?! Seeing new places! Sailing the Grand Line! Finding One Piece! That's exciting and adventurous! All this gardening stuff sounds boring..." Luffy exclaimed with vehemence, and then pouted at the end. Making an exasperate noise, Nami turned to him with a frown.

Monkey-san laughed, "As long as it's a life with Nami, I don't care _what_ I'm doing!"

"That also doesn't sound very exciting...You guys got balls..." said Luffy with pursed lips, referring to both Monkey-san and L, and completely missing the insult he just dealt himself.

Closing her eyes in annoyance, Nami quickly got to her feet. "Thanks so much for the help...and sorry for your trees. I hope we helped out, but I think we should be going now..."

Frowning up at Nami a bit sadly, N then turned to frown at Luffy. Sighing and drooping, L closed his eyes before standing himself, dusting off his pants. Then he turned to the pair with a smile. "Yes, thank you, and congratulations...I hope it works out for the two of you, just as I hope it works out for Nami and I...My Nami, that is."

N smiled and blushed as she looked over at him.

Monkey-san pursed his lips before he got up to whisper to L, "Are they fighting or something?"

Releasing a long drawn out breath, L looked over at Monkey-san with a frown. "Not...exactly...They don't actually have...anything...between them...At least, we think, not yet..."

"Doesn't look that way to me." Monkey-san grinned before he nodded, and stepped back. L smiled in return.

Na-chan frowned, having heard this before she put her hands on her hips to frown at Luffy and Nami, and she looked ready to smack the lot of them.

Clearing her throat, Nami turned away and walked over to D. She then knelt down beside him and stared down at him for a long while.

Frowning, Luffy then walked over to L and Monkey-san. "So, whata we doin' with him?" He wasn't at all happy at the attention Nami seemed to give him.

"Take him back to his world...Turn him in..." L said with a bit of a shrug. That had been the obvious answer to him.

Gasping, Nami quickly turned around with wide eyes as she stood. "You can't do that!"

Both L and Luffy blinked at her wide eyed before Luffy's frown deepened. "Why not...?"

"B-Because! They might kill him!"

Frowning as well, N turned to L. "She's right...They might do that..."

"We can talk about it later...We should probably get back..." L said with a bit of a frown as he looked at Nami.

Sighing, Na-chan seemed to let it go, and she said, "Well, all right. It was nice seeing ... me and me ..."

"This was great! Maybe you could come back some time!" Monkey-san exclaimed with a grin.

Frowning still as she stared at Luffy, who frowned back at her, Nami finally turned a smile back at Na-chan. "Yes...it was nice..."

Finally grinning, Luffy then turned to Monkey-san. "Aa! It was great!...But I won't plant any more trees..." He added with a pout.

"I got some flow-" Monkey-san started.

Na-chan clamped her hand over his mouth, "Just leave that to us then. Thank you for fixing my trees."

"Shishishi, of course!" Luffy said with a grin.

Nami smiled. "It was the least we could do."

L and N also smiled and nodded. Then L turned to the crews. "Shall we...?"

Getting into position, Nate then opened a portal back. Going over to D, Luffy roughly lifted him up, through him over his shoulders, inelegantly, which rewarded him with a frown from Nami. He turned and only frowned in return.

As they went through, Na-chan narrowed her eyes at Monkey-san, "Oh, and where's my ring?"

"Uh ..."

**To Be Continued…**

**Author's Note: **Doh! Never turn your back on a psychopathic Luffy…How'd you like it?! XD Bet you thought it was over, ne?! XD Haha! Actually, it was brought to my attention that more of a fight was needed…and sweet-ghyny13, you were right. He did need to put up more of a fight! XD Also, about what Monkey-san said about liking being pretty, Al was about to change that. I would have rather died! I thought it was frickin' hilarious! XD So sweet-ghyny13, that was one of my favorite parts too! XD So thanks sweet-ghyny13 for opening my eyes to making the villain too weak! XP Because I guess I did…I actually just finished the fight myself, Al didn't really help me with it…At least, I don't think she did…I did send her a copy to look over…-Shrugs, was too tired to look it over properly- Anyways, we did, however, RP where they were all fixing the trees and til the end! XD I thought that whole thing was just cute! Oh, and what'd you guys think of L's small quirk? XP I thought it was cute…and surprisingly smexy, that even though L is the most composed, proper and well mannered...he had such a feisty quirk! XP Anyways…now go and give me reviews….Go, go!

**P.S.** Con is a tuna-faced jerk.

**P.S.S. **At least I don't smell like fish, or old moldy CHEEZ. YES I SPELLED IT WRONG! MAKE ME CHANGE IT! XO I like tuna…Mmmm…


	17. Chapter 17: A Tyrant's Reign Ends

Crossed

**Author's Note: **Uwah! This one gave me some tough spots, but here it is folks! Chapter 17! XD Oh, and I lied…I found a use for Desini after all, haha…even if it is small. I really hope you all enjoy it!

**Crossed**

**Chapter 17: A Tyrant's Reign Comes To An End**

Opening his eyes slowly, D looked around, and clenched his teeth at the unbearable noise. His head was throbbing.

"You can't do that?!"

Blinking, D shifted his eyes up at the back that was turned to him.

"Why not?!"

Frowning deeply, he just continued to listen.

"We can't just let him go free, Nami. He's uncontrollable and dangerous..."

He was having trouble figuring out who was speaking. They both sounded like him...

"But if you turn him over in his world, they'll kill him!!"

He frowned deeper, close to a scowl.

"She's right. We can't just let him die..."

Blinking a bit, he tried to see around the body. It was her voice. '_Must be the other orange haired woman_...'

"N...Do you think he gave a second thought to the people he's hurt or killed?"

He almost snorted at that. He definitely didn't give a second thought. He tilted his head a bit at the long silence.

"But..."

"But nothin'!! We aren't lettin' 'im go free!! Not after all he's done!! How can you say that after what he did to you?!"

"But Luffy! You don't understand! You don't know all he's been through!"

D's eyes widened immediately as his lips parted.

"You don't know how much he's suffered! He-"

"Don't you dare say another fucking word, bitch!!"

Gasping, everyone jumped, and quickly looked over at him, Nami moving out of the way of him.

"Don't you say another fucking word..." D warned as he glared at her hatefully.

Tearing up, her expression turned sad. "But..." She whispered as she lowered her gaze.

"Don't but me...What the fuck do you think you're doing? I don't fucking want your sympathy, or your help, bitch…" D said in a low, hateful voice as he glared at her.

Coming up quickly, Luffy kicked him in the face. Gasping, Nami jumped and turned to him in wide eyed disbelief. "Luffy!!" She cried.

"Gungh!" D exclaimed as he clenched his teeth, he could immediately taste blood.

"Don't talk to her that way, you asshole!" Luffy yelled angrily. Quite frankly, he was sick of this man. He was disgusted by him and hated that Nami kept trying to defend him.

Spitting out blood from the kick, D just chuckled up at Luffy with a smirk. "You know, I'm getting the distinct feeling you don't like me."

Growling, Luffy went for another attack as he bared his teeth. However, L grabbed him from behind. "Oi, oi...Just ignore him...Don't let him get to you..."

Still chuckling, D then shifted his eyes to L, and then back at Luffy. "You should listen to your lady friend...You shouldn't let me get to you..."

Twitching, L slowly turned to him with a cold, wide eyed, angry glare, or at least with his one eye, his other eye still patched up. "Stop it, please!" Nami cried as she stepped in front of D, facing Luffy and L. Then she turned to D.

D's expression had turned back into a glare as he tried to sit up. Luffy frowned deeply at her back. "Why do you keep protecting him?!"

Whirling around, she frowned. "Because! I feel he needs it!"

"I don't need a damn thing from you, bitch!"

"Shut up!" Luffy yelled at D before turning back to Nami. "Why?!"

"Because I don't want him to die! If I let you do what you both want to do, that's what's going to happen to him!" She yelled back, starting to tear up more as she did.

"Why do you care so much?!"

"Because I do!"

N frowned as she looked between the two, L joining her frown. Then N turned to L. "Luffy please…"

Turning to N, his frown deepened. "N…he will only continue to hurt people…I don't understand…"

"He's you, Luffy…because he's you…" N said as she felt tears sting her eyes.

Making a small noise, L's lips parted as he frowned. "What…?" He whispered as he looked at her in confusion.

"I don't want him to die either…" N whispered in return.

Growling a bit, Luffy looked away from N, to Nami and then to D in a deep, displeased frown. D was frowning angrily at N. "What the fuck are you talking about?" He asked as he then looked at Nami.

Squeezing her eyes tightly, Nami then turned to look down at D. He looked completely unhappy, but still a bit confused as to why these women cared so damn much. "We can't let him go free, Nami…and we're not. We're taking him back, we're turning him in, and we're doing it now." Luffy said with his frown.

Opening her eyes slowly, she stared down at D, who stared back up at her with his confused, displeased frown. She knew she couldn't convince Luffy or L to change their minds. She walked up to him, and then dropped to her knees. Then she threw her arms around him, pulling him to her tightly. One of her arms hugged his head to her cheek, as the other wrapped around his shoulders.

Luffy's eyes widened as he made a loud exclamation in the back of his throat as he watched, L having the exact same reaction. N gasped quietly before frowning sadly.

D's eyes also widened in shock before frowning and shifting his eyes to her, "What the fuck are you doing?!"

Closing her eyes tightly, she moved her lips closer to his ear. "I know you may never get this chance…but if you manage to survive…I hope you find some happiness…You don't have to fight anymore…"She whispered next to his ear. He furrowed his brows as he shifted his eyes away from her. Then she opened her eyes slowly. "She will care…I know she will……Find her…" She continued in a whisper before cupping the back of his head and pulling back enough to kiss the corner of his mouth. His eyes widened as he shifted his eyes back to her, exhaling and inhaling quickly and quietly. Then she quickly got up, turning and making her way off deck, without looking at anyone.

Luffy made another loud exclamation when she kissed him. Then he scowled as he watched her pass him. "Nami…" He called, but she refused to look at him, continuing off deck.

D only watched her walk away wide eyed before his lips quirked in a bit of a smirk. Then he threw his head back and bellowed in laughter. Turning back to D, Luffy's scowl deepened as he bared his teeth. He hadn't heard a word Nami had spoken to him, but yet he was laughing at her. Squeezing her eyes tightly to his horrible laughter, Nami quickened her pace off deck, keeping her eyes concealed behind her hair.

"You…bastard…" Luffy seethed in an angry growl through clenched teeth as he scowled at D.

L was also frowning at him angrily. Closing her eyes, N turned, and walked away. She knew that she and Nami had failed to convince them. However, she knew they were right. There was no way he could be set free, but she couldn't watch when they decided to take him away. Turning as N began to walk away, L's expression turned a bit concerned as he watched her walk away. Then he turned back to D with deeper brows.

"Oops, sorry, you're not jealous are you?" D asked Luffy as he continued to laugh.

Clenching his teeth tight enough to hear the friction in his head, he bared his teeth at D in his anger. Then he took a few deep breaths. "Let's go…" He finally said in a shaky, restrained voice. He was more than ready to be rid of the bastard.

L turned to Nate and nodded. Coming forward on his crutches, he then knelt down awkwardly in front of D. D glared at him hatefully. "Little pussy…" He seethed angrily at the betrayer. He should have known better. He couldn't trust anyone, and everyone always betrayed him.

Ignoring him, Nate placed a hand on his shoulder and closed his eyes. "Don't touch me!" D yelled angrily as he tried to move away.

However, Luffy and L held him in place for Nate. Clenching his eyes tighter, he gripped D's shoulder tighter before finally opening his eyes. Then he got up, with Luffy's help, and then spread his arms out. "Cross Dimensional Portal!"

In front of them, a door way was opened, and on the other side, was a completely different world. "Wow…" L breathed as he stared through the door.

Clenching his teeth, D bared his teeth at the familiar world on the other side, a place he had never wanted to see again. "I think this is it…" Nate said as he blinked at it.

Turning to D, Luffy stared at him coldly before kneeling in front of him. Then he grinned. "Time to go…" He said as he pulled out a cloth from his pocket.

"You stupid son of a-mmmgh…." D started before Luffy gagged his mouth with the cloth.

"Now, now…There's no need for such nastiness, shishishi!" Luffy teased as he kept his grin.

Lips quirking at the corner, L tried to stomp down the smile he was wanting to display. "Shall we then?"

"Aa!" Luffy replied as he lifted up D, throwing him over his shoulder roughly.

"Gumgh!" D exclaimed through the rag angrily as he squirmed around.

"Oi! Stop moving!" Luffy yelled as he punched his side.

Looking through the opening, all three blinked at the other world before L slowly made his way through. Taking a deep breath, Luffy followed, Nate just behind him. As soon as they went through, the door closed behind them.

Looking around wide eyed, Luffy's lips parted in awe.

"It's so different…." L whispered as he also looked around.

"It's kinda…dark here…" Nate remarked as he frowned and looked up at the dark, cloudy sky. All the buildings were dark, and plain, made of only brick, glass and concrete with no real design to them. There was smog every where, completely covering the sky above.

D looked around with a scowl on his face. He hated it here, always have, always will. "Is this the right place?" Luffy asked with a frown.

"Well, it's as dark as he is…" L said quietly as he looked towards the town. "Wow…" He breathed.

Luffy followed his gaze as his jaw dropped. "That's so cool! What is it?!"

"I have no idea…It looks like…some kind of mode of transportation…" L said as he walked up to it.

"Trans-what?" Luffy asked as one side of his nose quirked. Then he pulled D from off his shoulder and sat him facing it. "What is that?!"

Blinking, D frowned at what he was facing before raising a brow. He was just looking at a chay. His eyes narrowed as he mumbled against the gag. Turning to him with wide blank eyes, Luffy tilted his head.

"Eh? Sorry, I couldn't hear you?" Luffy said as he grinned down at D.

Narrowing his eyes further, he gave Luffy a glare to let him know what he thought of him. Chuckling, Luffy finally knelt down to remove the gag. "Fuck you…"

Clicking his tongue as he shook his head, Luffy gave him a displeased frown. "That's not very nice."

Scoffing, D rose up his brow further. "Nice…? I'll show you nice, you-mmgh!"

"Shishishi!" Luffy laughed as he placed the gag back over his mouth. Then he looked back around. "Oh look! There's a smaller one! I wonder what they're called!"

Suddenly, a man walked out and pulled out a device that opened the vehicle. "Oi!" Luffy called as he made his way to the man with a grin.

The man looked up and then paled visibly as he dropped his device. "Y-Y-Y-You!!" He screamed as he quickly turned and ran away.

"Eh?" Luffy questioned as he tilted his head in confusion.

"This is his world Luffy…He's probably got all these people scared…You look just like him, remember?" L said as he walked up beside him.

"Oh, right…" Luffy said as he drooped a bit. He had wanted to know what the thing was called. Turning to it, he regained his grin. It was open. "Shishishi!" He laughed as he immediately went to it and climbed inside.

Blinking, D's eyes widened. He was right in front of the damn thing... "Mmmgh!!"

Frowning a bit, L turned to D's sudden muffled cries. Then he blinked and looked over at the vehicle and then back at D. Chuckling, he made his way to D and lifted him up. "Alright, alright…No need to get worked up…You don't need to be scared. I won't let the big, bad vehicle run you over…Or Luffy…for that matter…"

"Fugh Mou!!"

Continuing to chuckle, he threw him to the side none to nicely. "This is s-o cool!!" Luffy exclaimed as he moved from one thing to the other inside. "I wanna ride it!"

Crawling back to the door, massive grin in place, Luffy looked over at D. "You know how to work this thing?!"

Blinking at him slowly with a frown, D just rolled his eyes to the side. '_Idiot_...'

Pursing his lips, he then went back inside. "Oi, Luffy…We really should be getting him to where he needs to go…We shouldn't really be out in the open…" L said as he tilted his head and rose up a brow at Luffy's obvious glee from the vehicle.

Pouting, Luffy stayed right where he was. "I wanna ride it…"

Bringing his brows together, L blinked at Luffy in confused disbelief. "Uh…."

Also blinking, Nate looked to each Luffy. Each one was so incredibly different. Frowning, L then crossed his arms. "Luffy…we need to turn him in…Besides, this vehicle doesn't belong to you…Out!"

Pursing his lips in a deeper pout, Luffy finally climbed out sullenly. "You're no fun…" He mumbled as he went and lifted D up as if he were nothing but baggage.

"Hmm ha a mmmgh…" D mumbled curses as the air was knocked out of him.

"Sorry, can't hear you!" Luffy said with a grin and chuckle. Pulling his tied up legs back, D then rammed his knees into Luffy's gut. "Gah! You bastard!" He yelled angrily as he punched his side hard.

"Gungh!"

"Try that again!" Luffy yelled as he pursed his lips.

"I wonder where we can find the marine base…" L said aloud as he looked around.

"Maybe I can ask someone…" Nate said as he looked around at the empty streets. "If we can find someone…"

"Well…if we can find someone, we will make ourselves scarce so we don't scare them off…" L said as he looked all around them. "Maybe we should try moving deeper in…"

"Yosh!" Luffy exclaimed as he headed across the street. "Let's go this way!"

"Oi, Luffy…be careful not to scare anyone away…" L said as he frowned, but followed his counterpart and friend.

As they continued to walk, they could finally make out a busy street in the distance. Many of the same big, two wheeled vehicles passing by quickly as well as some of the smaller ones and even some bigger. "So cool!" Luffy exclaimed with stars in his eyes.

"You really are easily amused and awed…aren't you…?" L asked with narrowed, beady eyes in discontentment.

Nate smiled nervously at them, but finding them rather amusing. D's expression especially as he hung over Luffy's shoulder with bored eyes in _un_-amusement. "Anyways…we should hide here until Nate can ask…" L said as he motioned to an alley near the busy street.

Pouting, Luffy turned to the alley, and then to the busy street. Rolling his eyes, Nate stepped forward on his crutches. "I will make sure to ask that too…" He said as he chuckled at Luffy.

Grinning, Luffy nodded in satisfaction as he followed L into the alley. Continuing forward, Nate glanced around at all the people walking down the street. "Um…excuse me…" He called out, but was completely ignored. Frowning, he stepped forward more. "Excuse me!" He called out louder to a man that past.

Frowning down at him, the man kept going. "You're excused, little shrimp!"

Blinking, his eyes widened. "What the…?" He said in disbelief. '_What a shitty place_...'

Frowning, he finally tripped another man with his crutches. "Gah!" The man exclaimed as he hit the ground. Everyone else just stepped around him. "What the hell?!" He yelled in anger as he looked up at Nate.

"Well, it seems it's the only way to get someone's attention around here! Where the hell is the marine base?!"

"Why the hell do you wanna know where that is?!"

"Why the hell do you care why I wanna know?! Answer the damn question!"

"Fine, just follow this road straight down that way…You'll get to it eventually…Yeesh…" The man finally replied as he stood up and kept going.

"Thank you!" Nate yelled in his own irritation. The man only snorted in reply. Turning, Nate made his way back with a frown. "What the hell is wrong with these people? No wonder why that Luffy's so shitty…"

"Excuse me, sir…?"

Blinking, Nate turned to the voice. "Ah?"

"I'm really sorry about that…I heard you ask politely for directions…I know a lot of people from this town can be pretty rude…The man actually gave you the wrong directions…" A young woman said as she smiled.

Blinking a bit, his lips parted in disbelief before he frowned. "Son of a…" He breathed in irritation.

"I can take you to where you need to go…"

Shifting his eyes to behind him, he then looked back at her. "Uh…That sounds great…but I don't think its necessary…Maybe you can just tell me?"

The dark haired beauty with turquoise eyes blinked at him curiously. "Hmm…Ya got somethin' ta hide, little man?"

Frowning, Nate pursed his lips a bit. "Little man?!"

Giggling a bit, she brought a knuckle to her lips. "You know, you're cute."

"Ah!" Nate exclaimed as his eyes widened before he frowned and his cheeks flushed deeply. She only smiled sweetly in return. "Look, can I just get the directions…please…?"

Smiling wider, she leaned forwards towards him, which caused him to stumble back with wide eyes, and then she quirked a brow. "Now I know you're hiding something…"

"W-What?! Why would I hide something from you?!" He asked with his own raised brow. She was confusing him.

Grinning, she then leaned back. "Because, a cute girl is offering to take you to where you need to go, has called you cute, but yet you still won't let her take you…"

"Ah…" His jaw dropped a bit as he stared at her. It was true, she was quite beautiful. Then he frowned again, forcing the blush away. He had to get rid of her some how. "It's got nothing' to do with that…I really need to know where the base is. Can you tell me or not?"

Pouting prettily, the girl crossed her arms. Then she tilted her head before regarding him seriously. She could tell it was really important for him to find the base and that he was most definitely hiding something. Her curiosity was eating at her. She had to find out what he was hiding and why.

"To tell you the truth…even if I told you, you still might get lost trying to find it. If you try asking for directions again, it's very unlikely anyone would be kind enough to tell you. This is not a very friendly town." She explained.

Exhaling roughly, Nate frowned up at her. "Then, why are you?"

"I'm not from here, and I know what it's like. I can also tell you're not from around here. I just want to help. It seems pretty important that you get to the base. I want to make sure you get there."

Furrowing his brows in a bit of surprise, he blinked at the girl. "It is important…" Then he almost snorted at the 'you're not from around here' comment. '_You have no idea…_'

Nodding, she continued to regard him seriously. "Also, you have someone with you…Otherwise you would have just headed in the direction the man had told you. Is it someone with a bounty? Someone you don't want anyone to see?"

Frowning further, he moved back from her in caution. She only smiled. "I thought so. You can't defend against people alone in your state."

"I'm not alone, and that actually wasn't what I was worried about…No one will try and take this bounty…Least of all you…"

She laughed. "I don't want to take your bounty from you. I just want to help, I promise."

Scoffing, he pursed his lips slightly. "You wouldn't be able to anyway…Fine…It seems I can't get rid of you anyway…"

"Nope!" She replied with a grin.

"You have to promise something though…"

Losing her grin, she blinked at him. "Promise something?"

"Yes, promise something."

"Alright...what's the promise?"

"You have to promise not to freak out, scream, or try and run away…We really need to know where the base is…"

She quirked a brow as she stared at him wide eyed. "Why would I do any of those things…?"

Shrugging, Nate then turned, but didn't start walking yet. "Do you promise?"

"Of course I promise…"

Sighing, he finally started forward. "Okay…"

Frowning, she followed behind him. She was curious as to way she had to make such a promise. After walking a ways, Nate stopped. "Wait right there…"

Stopping, she blinked as she watched him head for an alleyway. Luffy perked when he saw Nate appear in the opening. "Oi!"

"Hold it!" Nate said as he held up a hand.

"Eh?" Luffy questioned as he tilted his head, L blinking at Nate.

"Did you find out where the base is at, Nate?" L asked as he frowned.

"And what are those weird things called?!"

Blinking, the girl's eyes widened as she heard the voice from inside. It was the exact same voice, only at different volumes. It also some how sounded different. At one time, it sounded calm, and the other was more excited. Taking a small step forward, she was more than curious as to who was inside.

"I kinda found out where it is…" Nate said as he frowned.

"Kinda, what do you mean kinda?"

"You didn't ask about the weird things?!"

L drooped as he turned to Luffy. "Luffy, this isn't the time for this…?"

"But I wanna know!"

Gasping, her eyes widened further. "Luffy?!"

Nate quickly perked, his eyes widening as he turned to the girl. "Wait, wait!"

"Who was that?!"

First of all…she recognized the name Luffy. Second, there were two separate people in there with the exact same voice. She knew two people conversing when she heard one. That or the person in there was completely insane. Backing up slightly, she felt her heart pounding before she gave a bit of a laugh.

"That's not Luffy…in there…" She said, wanting to reassure herself as she took another step back.

"You promised not to freak out, scream, or run away! Remember?!"

"Nate, what's going on?!" L asked, becoming a little concerned.

"They won't hurt you, I promise!"

"H-Hurt me…?" She whispered. '_They_?'

"You promised to take us to the base!"

"Nate." L called as he frowned.

Turning to L, Nate frowned a bit. "These people here aren't very nice. This girl offered to help us get to the base. Other wise, we may never find it…" Then Nate turned back to the girl. "Are you gonna go back on your promise?"

Taking a few deep, shaky breaths, she finally shook her head no. Releasing his breath in relief, he then turned back to Luffy and L. "Alright, let's go."

Still frowning, L made his way out first. Luffy, still with a pout, followed. Gasping slowly, her eyes widened when two men, one holding another came out of the alley way. Then both turned to her, one with a frown, and the other with a displeased pout.

"Oh my…" She breathed as she took another step back. "It-It really is…Monkey "The Demon Fist" Luffy…" She whispered as her face paled. Then her eyes shifted to L, whose other eye was still bandaged. Her eyes widened further. "T-Two…of them…"

Both blinked as they're eyes widened. "Demon Fist?" Both asked at the same time.

Then suddenly they could hear chuckles coming from behind them. Frowning, Luffy punched D's side. "Shut it!"

"Gugh!" D exclaimed as he began to struggle against Luffy, getting angry.

"Knock it off, jerk!"

"We need to get him to the marine base. Can you take us? Obviously, as you can see, we can't travel out in the open." L explained to the girl calmly.

"Take who…?" She asked in a quiet voice.

Luffy and L looked at one another before Luffy turned, revealing a very miffed third Luffy. He glared back at the girl coldly. Gasping, she took a step back, realizing _he_ was The Demon Fist. Blinking, she felt her heart pounding even more.

"What's going on…?" She whispered as she looked back up at Luffy and L.

Sighing, Nate stepped forward. "Look, we are obviously not from here right? You said so yourself. To put it more accurately, we're not even from this world, or dimension…rather. I made the mistake of coming through here when I was running from this Luffy here…"He explained as he pointed to L. "He…" He started as he pointed to D, "came through my portal and we all ended up in this Luffy's world." He finished as he pointed to Luffy.

Trying to take it all in, she followed his motions as she furrowed her brows. "It took three of them, to take out just this psychotic asshole…and now we wanna turn him in…" Nate finished as he glared at D, who glared back.

"So…then…you two…aren't…bad?" She asked L and Luffy.

"Nope!" Luffy replied with a grin.

"Actually, I'm a marine where I'm from…" L replied with a smile.

She could immediately tell the difference between them. She finally managed a smile. "I see…"

"Ne, ne!" Luffy exclaimed as he stepped forward, which startled her, making her take a step back. "What are those neat things called?!" He asked as he pointed to the busy street.

Turning, she blinked at the many passing vehicles before turning back to him. "You mean the chays?" She asked as she pointed a thumb behind her.

"Chays?! Is that what those neat vicles are called?!"

"Vehicles…"

"Whatever…" Luffy said as he pouted at L.

Blinking, she stared at Luffy in disbelief. '_Okay…They're __**really**__…different…_'

"I wanna ride one!"

"Luffy, this isn't the time! We need to turn him in and then go home!" L said in irritation.

"But this is the only time we ever get to come here! I may never get a chance to ride one again! Yeesh, you're just like Nami!"

L stared at him for awhile with his frown and slightly puffed cheeks. "Aah!" He cried out in frustration as he lifted up his arms.

She couldn't help but to release a giggle at them. She liked these two, her anxiety and fear leaving her immediately. "I have a rick that I can give you a ride on later…"

Luffy turned to her with wide eyes, and a bit confused. "Rick…?"

"That's right. My rick…It's short for carrick. It's a smaller version of the chay. Chay is also short for chaise. It's how we get around. I didn't need the bigger vehicle, so I just rented a rick. I'd be more than willing to give you a ride, although, I'm surprised you don't have anything like it where you're from…" The girl explained with a raised brow.

"Nope! We don't have anything like 'em! They're so cool! Ne…what's your name anyways?" Luffy asked as he tilted his head.

"Oh, right! I already know yours, so I kinda forgot to give mine. My name's Desini. It's nice to meet you…Luffy…" She said before turning to L. ", and Luffy…" She continued with a small laugh, and then she turned to Nate. "And you are?"

"Nate…"

She smiled and gave a small noise in amusement at his still remaining pout. "It's nice to meet you Nate." She said in a soft voice, which caused him another blush and to turn away.

"Nice to meet you Desini!"

"Actually, you can call me L." L said as he bowed to her.

"Oh, well that makes it less confusing." She said as she turned her smile on them, and then she perked. "Oh right! The base! It's this way. We can travel through the alley ways to keep a low profile." She continued as she turned down the alley they had been hiding in, all three followed behind her.

After a many turns and straighaways, which seemed to last forever, she finally stopped across from a large building. There was a massive fence surrounding it as well. "Here we are…" She said with a bit if a frown.

"Nah…This place isn't gloomy at all…" Nate said quietly in sarcasm as he narrowed his eyes at the building.

Smiling, Desini turned to look at him as she gave a quiet, breathy laugh. She was rewarded with another blush and frown as he looked away from her and to the building. "So, how do we do this?" He asked quietly.

"Hmm…" L hummed as he looked around. "I wonder who is stationed here." He asked, more to himself. D turned himself so he could see the place, narrowing his eyes into a further glare.

"It might be a bad idea if either of you goes in there…" She said as she frowned at L.

"I have to…I have to make sure he's set into the right hands…" L replied, still looking over the place.

"What does it matter…? He's going to die either way…He's done a lot of bad things…killed a lot of people…Everyone knows his name, his face…He has another name besides Demon Fist…The Nightmare…He's the most feared man in the world…Quite frankly, I'm terrified to be so close to him…I haven't stopped thinking about that the moment I saw him…" She explained in an emotionless voice.

Frowning deeply, all three turned to look at her.

"He's also the most hated…" She continued as she turned to look at D with a frown. He only scoffed at her with amused eyes. Sighing, she turned away from him and back to the place.

"I still wouldn't feel right unless I'm the one who did it…We have to get in some how, even if we have to sneak inside…"

She turned to L with a frown. "It's not going to be easy…"

"I know it won't be…However, we have to try." L said as he scoped the entire vicinity of the base. "There…" He said after awhile as he pointed somewhere towards the base. "It's our best bet…The sun is about to set, we will wait until night fall…It will give me more time to study it."

Still frowning, Desini nodded, not seeing any other way to convince him other wise. Everyone sat down, Luffy throwing D against the wall of the building and causing him to grunt. As they sat and watched the sun set, L tilted his head to the side before turning to Nate. "I've been meaning to ask…"

Blinking, Nate turned to him in question. "Hmm?"

"Okay, actually, I have a lot of questions for you…"

Scoffing a bit, Nate had been expecting the questions sooner or later. "Alright…"

"I'm gonna start with this one first…How did you come across all of us?"

Taking a breath in thought, Nate leaned his head back against the wall. "Wave patterns…"

"Wave patterns?" L repeated in question as he frowned and raised a brow.

"Your wave patterns are pretty strong…When I'm in a rush, nervous, or anxious…I tend to follow the same wave patterns unintentionally. It's kinda of hard to explain…but, it's how I was able to bring Nami to you when she wanted to see you…I followed his wave length to you…" Nate explained as he shifted his eyes to D. Then he looked away. "When I'm not in a hurry, I can also match that pattern to the world itself."

"I think I understand…" L said as he put a hand to his chin in thought. Luffy quirked a brow in confusion, he didn't get it at all.

"It also helps to be in contact with the pattern. That's how I was able to find his world again."

"I see…That makes sense."

Luffy still didn't get it…

"Second question…"

"Alright…"

"We're all connected, aren't we?"

"Connected?" Nate frowned, confused by his question.

"With our counterparts…We can feel each other…We can sense things about each other…"

"I honestly don't know…I've never actually come into contact with myself…Why do you ask?"

"Well, when we first met each other, Luffy and I…I could sense that he was a good person…When we first met him," L explained as he nodded to D, "we could tell he wasn't good, and that he was far stronger than us. Also…there were times…during the ordeal where…We would get…emotional. Unexplainably so…For instance, Luffy and I got extremely angry at one point, and N, which is my Nami, broke down. I think that it's possible at the time, he was very angry, and Nami was very sad…"

D furrowed his brows. He remembered getting angry, and the orange haired woman crying because of him. L turned to D, just as D furrowed his brows. D turned away from him as he furrowed his brows deeper. Also frowning deeply, Luffy turned to D. "You made her sad…?" He seethed under his breath.

"It's just a theory Luffy…"

D scoffed again as he smiled through the gag. Baring his teeth, Luffy went to him, lifting him up by the front of his vest. "You made her sad!!" Luffy yelled angrily.

Blinking, Desini felt a rush of fear as she moved away from the men. Only chuckles could be heard behind the gag. Growling, he slammed D against the building wall. "Guh!" D exclaimed through the gag, but still kept laughing.

"What did you do to her?!"

"Calm down Luffy…" L said as he quickly stood to go to him.

"How can you ask me to calm down?! He hurt her! He made her sad! N was really sad that day…and it was just from us having been angry…I can't imagine what he had done to make her so sad…What did you do to her?" Luffy seethed angrily. N had also been crying…Had he made Nami cry. However, he only got amusement out of the other man as he just continued to laugh at Luffy. "You bastard!"

"Luffy, calm down!" L yelled as he grabbed Luffy and pulled him away from D, tossing D none too gently to the side, causing him to grunt again.

"Look, he's just trying to get under your skin, and you're letting him! You know he won't answer you…We can always ask Nami when we get back…"

Feeling herself calm down a bit, Desini settled back down, but kept her eyes on them. All the things they were talking about were completely confusing to her. She also wondered about this 'Nami' person. She seemed pretty important…It also seemed like there were two of them.

Finally relaxing, Luffy frowned at L before nodding slowly. Then he turned and plopped down next to Nate.

After the sun finally set, they all began to make their move. Running up to the fence as quickly as possible, L crouched low, bringing out his clasped hands for Desini to jump up and over the fence. Then he helped Nate over before he and Luffy stretched up and over.

The continued until they made their way inside, making their way up stairs as well. They cautiously snuck around, not even sure what they were looking for. "Where are we going?" Desini whispered as she looked at L.

"I don't know…Hold it!" L replied in a loud whisper as he held Desini to the wall, everyone else following suit. Suddenly, a few marines walked by. D turned so he could see, and then he smirked as he began to scream against his gag.

Eyes widening, everyone turned to him. He began to chuckle behind the gag.

"You hear somethin'?"

"I think so…Let's go check it out…"

As soon as the marines turned the corner, they didn't see anything. "Hmm...guess it was nothing…"

A few feet away, L peered around another corner, making sure they weren't following, before turning a cold glare on D. "You asshole…" He seethed under his breath. D only smirked in return in his amusement. Grinding his teeth, L pulled back his arm, punching D in the face. "Try that again…" He warned.

"Guh!" D cried out as his head snapped to the left, but still continued his chuckles.

"Okay, this is going to prove to be a bit more difficult…" Nate said as he glared at D.

Looking around, L froze as he stared up at a door. Then his eyes widened. "Jii-chan…" He whispered to himself.

Both D and Luffy turned to him, Luffy with wide blank eyes, D with a wide eyed frown. Then both looked up at the door.

Suddenly, more voices could be heard, fast approaching. Gasping, Desini turned to the voices. "I know that voice…" She whispered.

"Yeah, so do we…" L replied as he turned towards the other hallway, but didn't look. "They're coming this way…"

"I'll distract them…" She said as she stood.

L quickly reached up, grabbing her hand. "Wait…"

"It's okay…" She said, interrupting him. "I won't get into trouble." She said as she smiled down at him.

"Let me come with you…It's best I'm not caught either, and I can't run like this. If they think I'm with you, we should be fine." Nate said.

L then turned to Nate. "Be ready to open a portal out of here."

Nodding, Nate stood up, and then both quickly made their way around the corner.

"Hello!"

Turning to the door, L quickly got up and opened it quietly, ushering Luffy inside. He closed the door quietly and slowly, and then turned to Luffy. "We should just leave him in here. Jii-chan would know what to do with him…"

Frowning, Luffy looked around at everything. Turning to the desk, he noticed a picture with his Jii-chan in it. He wasn't smiling. His Jii-chan always smiled, or rather grinned. His expression completely lacked any kind of joy. "What is this place…?" He whispered to himself.

L stopped and looked over at Luffy with a frown. "What?"

Releasing his breath, he tried to shrug it off, shaking his head as he tossed D onto the floor. "It's nothing…" He replied quietly.

D's eyes seemed to flare and light up at the image of Garp on the desk. However, it was a light so hateful and full of malice. Suddenly, he began to struggle and cry out against his gag and restraints. His eyes were massive and crazed. Both frowned, not recognizing the look he was giving. It was different from the looks he had given them before. Luffy actually shivered as he looked away. He was unsure of it, and didn't really understand it. He also didn't want to. This world gave him bad vibe, and he wanted to be away from it as soon as possible.

"We should go…" L said.

Nodding, Luffy turned to L. "Aa…" He agreed as he made his way to him.

As soon as L opened the door, however, more voices could be heard approaching. L quickly, but quietly closed the door again. Closing his eyes, L just hoped it wasn't there that they were going to. The voices seemed to stay where they were for awhile. Then L turned to D, who had stopped moving. He was facing forward and breathing heavily. He was a bit confused by his behavior. Turning, he looked at the picture Luffy had been looking at before, and then frowned. The voices didn't seem to be moving at all.

L shifted his eyes back and forth between D and the picture. D had yet to remove his eyes from it. Turning to the door, the voices still talking, he then turned back to the picture, making his way to it. Luffy blinked as he watched L. Stopping in front of it, L frowned, noticing the lack of cheerfulness in it. Then he picked it up before turning to look at D. His eyes were wide and crazed as they remained on that image. Walking forward, he knelt in front of D, moving the picture to in front of him.

This caused D to inhale sharply as he leaned back, his eyes widening further and sweat beading down his face. Then his expression turned dark as he scowled angrily at it before shifting his eyes to L. His eyes were full of hatred.

"Hate him that much, do you…?" L asked as he frowned deeply at him. He really wanted to know what had happened between them. He had mentioned about his Jii-chan having turned his back on his family. His Jii-chan would never do that.

Remaining quiet, D only continued to glare at L hatefully, not making a sound. Suddenly, the voices became louder as the approached the room. Both Luffy and L quickly looked towards the door with wide eyes. Then Luffy turned to L with his wide eyes.

"We need to get out of here!" L exclaimed in a loud whisper as he turned to the single window in the room. "The window!" He quickly exclaimed as he rushed to it and opened it. Luffy quickly made his way to L, but turned and gave D one more frown. D only lifted his chin into the air as he glared at Luffy coldly. Huffing, Luffy quickly turned and made his way out, behind L. Both climbed down the wall to the ground below.

Nate and Desini were already below waiting on them on the other side of the fence. They had been escorted out. Turning, Nate then quickly spread out his arms as he closed his eyes. "Cross….Dimensional Portal."

The door to Garp's office opened, and Garp as well as Jin stepped inside. Garp immediately froze at the sight in front of him. D quickly turned to see Garp in the doorway. His scowl turned deep as he glared at his grandfather hatefully, sweat beading down his face. Furrowing his brows deeply, he then looked up at the open window. Going to it quickly, he looked down below. L and Luffy were just reaching the bottom, both running towards Nate and Desini on the other side of the fence.

Blinking, Garp's lips parted as he stared down at them in shock. Jin came up beside him and looked down as well. "Oi!" He called out.

Both L and Luffy inhaled sharply as they turned to look up. Garp's eyes widened further, as did Jin's. "What the…?" Jin breathed in disbelief.

Suddenly, marines began to flood the courtyard. Both Luffy and L stared up at Garp for a long while before turning and running the rest of the way to Nate, who had already opened a door. "Let them go…" Garp told Jin quietly as he watched them run.

"But…" Jin said before frowning and sighing. Then he turned to back to the window. "Leave them!" He called down to the marines below.

Both Luffy and L stopped just as they reached the fence and looked back up at Garp. "I hope we did the right thing…" L whispered to Luffy.

"Aa…" Luffy agreed.

Nate then turned to Desini. "Thanks for your help…" He said, not forgetting his manners.

She smiled in return. "Of course." She replied as she leaned towards him and kissed his cheek.

He stumbled back with a massive blush as he stared at her wide eyed. Then he frowned with a slight pout as he turned to Luffy and L. "Can we go now?!"

L slowly closed his eyes as he took a deep breath. Then he turned and climbed the fence. Luffy stared at Garp for awhile longer before also turning and climbing the fence. Then both walked through the portal, Nate following, and then the door closed with a bright flash.

Both blinking against the bright flash, Garp furrowed his brows at the now empty space before turning to D slowly. D was still glaring at him in his hate, his teeth clenched tightly over the gag.

"It's been a long time…Luffy…"

**To Be Continued…**

**Author's Notes: **Muwahahaha! XD I knows, another cliff hanger! Hate those, don't'cha?! XD I kept getting stuck on this one…haha…but I pulled through! How'd ya like it?! Poor Luffy, ne?! I know…Iz mean…Get over it! XP Anyways, please let me know what'cha think, ne?! XD REVIEW!


	18. Chapter 18: Made To Understand

Crossed

**Author's Note: **I know, I'm sorry, this chapter took me a long time to finish up…I had major writer's block for one, and then I had to try and make all my ideas fit. I've yet to put all those ideas out yet though, but I know how they will all fit. So, now I'm able to write, and it's all thanks to heather. I was able to talk to him about it, and he helped me see how I could fit it all in. Thanks heather! Man, you've been helping me out a lot lately! You're a pal! XD HAHAHA! Anyways, enjoy the chapter! Yes, I said chapter. The story's not over yet. I've decided to take the time to develop the relationship that was suggested to me. I want you all to know that it's actually you all's fault that I got stuck…Asking for more development and such…making me have to change my ideas…So, blame yourselves for how slow this chapter came out…--; So, now the story has a few more chapters to it…Anyways, read – enjoy, ja!

**P.S.** Oh, by the way, I've decided to change something. I'm going to have to go back and change this for later, but I've decided to have him have two earrings in the same ear. One is just a slightly smaller loop than the other. The reason is, is because Mihase drew another sketch, and in it, he has two loops in one ear. I really liked how it looked. So, that's what I've decided to change it to. Here's the link, so you all can see it. http( : ) ( / ) ( / )s245./albums/gg49/Confession68/?actionview& currentSketch013.jpg ( Remove the space between & and current. As well as the () and spaces. Also add the words photobucket (.) com after s245. No spaces or () ) I just need to get over my laziness to go change it…I will after I post this me thinks…

**Crossed**

**Chapter 18: Made To Understand**

"I didn't get to ride the vicles…"

"Vehicles…"

"Whatever…"

"We didn't have a choice. We had to leave right away. We were discovered…"

"So then…you guys got him to where he needed to go?" Z asked as he crossed his arms and leaned against the mast.

"Aa…we did." L replied.

"What was it like there?" Usopp asked as he leaned close towards both of them.

"It was dark and ugly…Oh! But they had these neat vicle thingies!!"

"Vehicle, Luffy! Ve-hi-cle!!"

"_Whatever_!!"

"No, not _whatever_! _Ve-hi-cle_!! Say it! _Ve-hi-cle_!"

"I dun wanna!!"

"Why you…!"

"Gah! Sop iih!!"

"Oi, oi…" The crew said with nervous expressions as they watched L grab at Luffy's face with a scowl.

"Le ho!!" Luffy yelled as he leapt onto L.

"Gah!"

"Ow!"

"That hurts!"

"Of course it hurts!"

"Damn it!!"

"What's going on?!"

Everyone froze as they looked up towards the upper deck. Luffy was on top of L, pulling on his cheek, L pulling down Luffy's nose. N blinked down at them wide eyed. "Y-You're back!" She said before frowning and biting her lip. "So…then you…?" She started to ask.

L let go of Luffy's nose, which caused it to snap back into Luffy's face, none to gently. "Gah!" Luffy yelled as he flew back, landing on his back. In turn, he released L, whom also slammed into the deck from the force.

"Son of a-!"

"Luffy!" N yelled, cutting L off.

L flinched as he closed an eye before looking up at her. "S-Sorry…" He said.

Releasing a breath as she closed her eyes, she then opened them again before making her way down to them. "W-What happened?" She asked, wanting to know exactly what had happened in the other world.

L sat up, lifting a knee to sit more comfortably. Luffy sat up quickly, crossing his legs as he rubbed his nose with a scowl. As soon as she was near them, she crossed her arms with a bit of a concerned frown. Sighing, L then explained to what had happened as soon as they got there, and how they found Garp's office, having actually seen him as well.

"So then, you turned him in with your Jii-chan?" She asked.

"Aa…" L replied.

"Didn't he mention that he had turned his back on him and his family?" She asked quietly with a frown.

"There's no way my Jii-chan could have done that…" L replied with furrowed brows. Luffy only blinked at him.

"But…you don't know that Luffy…It seems like a completely different place there…I mean…that other…Luffy…I could have never imagined anyone like you could be like him…" She said softly as she frowned.

"Either way…what could I have possibly done anyway, Nami? He couldn't be set free…" He reminded her.

Sighing, she frowned as she closed her eyes and hugged herself. "I know…" She whispered in reply after awhile.

Luffy blinked and looked around before frowning a bit. "Where's Nami?" He asked in a quiet voice.

N released a loud breath as she turned to Luffy. "She went to take a bath…and hasn't been out since. She may be in the observation room by now." She replied softly with a frown.

"Have you talked to her?" L asked as he also frowned a bit.

"Well…I did a little." She said, a little sheepishly.

"A little?" L asked as he frowned deeper.

Sighing, N drooped a little as she closed her eyes. "She wasn't really in a talking mood…and I know how that is, so I left her alone…She just needs some time. She'll come around."

Even if Nami wasn't in a talking mood, Luffy was. He had a lot he needed to ask her and talk to her about. He stood up and headed in the direction of the observation room. N's eyes widened a bit as she watched him.

"W-Where are you going?" She asked.

"To talk to Nami."

"B-But I just-"

Luffy turned, only offering her a blank expression, which cut off her words. She parted her lips slightly as she frowned. He turned and continued towards the observation room. She frowned a bit concerned as she watched him before turning to L. He was also watching Luffy walk away, his expression also blank. N's brows twitched a bit, not really understanding. What was with the looks…from both? When Luffy had turned to her and given her that look, her heart had jumped, and not in a good way. It had caused her to silence her words. There was something in the intensity of the stare. She looked back towards Luffy and frowned further.

Some members of the crew only sighed as they watched Luffy walk away. Usopp then turned to the others.

"This has all been really whack…" He said.

"Aa…" They all agreed.

"That other Luffy was really horrible…" Coby said with a frown.

"Aa, a real shitty asshole…" Sanji said as he flicked the butt of his cigarette over the side of the rail.

"And that tattoo…That was r_eally_ wicked…" Usopp said with a shiver.

"Aa, it was…I totally didn't expect it…" U agreed.

"It was pretty surprising…I mean…it was huge…" Z said in some awe.

Everyone else agreed. When Luffy had brought him on board and tossed him onto the deck, his shirt had lifted and revealed a little of it.

_As soon as they made it back aboard The Sunny, Luffy dropped D to the deck._

"_Eh?" Usopp questioned as he blinked at the other Luffy's back._

_His shirt had risen up a bit from the fall, revealing something weird on his back. "What's that?" He asked as he pointed._

Nami turned towards Usopp's question before shifting her eyes to where he pointed. Then she frowned. A small portion of his tattoo was exposed.

"_Mm?" Luffy questioned as he also looked down at what Usopp pointed to. _

_Then he furrowed his brows as he knelt down. He reached over, grabbing his shirt as he then pulled it all the way up to his neck, making a loud exclamation as he did. Everyone else either gasped or also had the same reaction as Luffy._

"_What the…?" Zoro said quietly as he stared at what was on his back._

"_I-I-Is th-th-that a t-t-ta-tattoo?!" U asked with a stutter._

_Luffy slowly stood as he stared down at the massive dragon his other self's back._

"_Holy shit…" Sanji said as he pulled his cigarette from his mouth._

"_It's huge!" Usopp exclaimed with his eyes bugged and jaw hitting the floor._

"_Aa…it is…" Coby agreed as he and everyone else stared at it._

"_Oh my…" N breathed as she covered her mouth._

_L stepped up slowly beside Luffy as he frowned down at the tattoo. "Why in the world…?" He started to ask as he frowned deeper._

"_He wouldn't explain about it…" Nami said into the silence, everyone turning to her. She hugged herself as she frowned down at him sadly._

"_Explain about it?" L asked._

"_Un…" She replied quietly. "When I first saw it…" She started and then cringed in memory about that time in the bathroom. It was the first time she had really seen his insanity. "I wondered about it…but seeing as he was and reacted to it, I was kind of afraid to ask. Although…he didn't seem very happy about it…I wondered about that. He actually seemed to hate both his tattoo and earrings. When I referred to both upon seeing them…his demeanor completely changed to coldness…maybe even hatred…" She explained to them as she hugged herself._

"_If he hated them so much, why'd he get them?" Z asked with an arched brow. Zoro had the same expression._

"_I'm not sure. However…" She said as she approached him, kneeling next to him and pointing to around the dragon. "I noticed these too. Look familiar?" She asked._

_Robin blinked before her eyes widened a bit and her lips parted in recognition. "Those spirals…" She said._

Everyone turned to her then. "Un…It's the same spirals that mark our devil fruits…" Nami said.

L perked, his eyes widening, as well as Nate's. "I-I have a birth mark…with those same spirals…It's not as clear but…" L said quietly.

"_What?" Nami asked as she turned to him with wide eyes._

"_Interesting…" Robin said quietly as she rubbed her chin._

"_Perhaps the spirals mark those with an ability…Whatever world we're from…?" N suggested._

"_Maybe…" Nami replied as she looked down at D's back. "It looks as if he tried to cover the spirals…It looks like it was also tattooed onto his back."_

"_Who tattooed it on him though, and why?" Usopp asked._

"_Yeah, I wonder about that too…What happened to him…?" U asked as he frowned._

"_Well…he did tell me that he…" Nami started, but was interrupted._

"_It doesn't matter about his past…"_

Everyone quickly turned to Luffy, who was still staring at the tattoo with a frown. Nami frowned up at him. "What do you mean it doesn't matter?"

"_It doesn't matter…All that matters, is that he's a horrible person, and we should take him back."_

_Nami quickly stood up to face him. "You can't do that!"_

"Aa…wish Nami'd gotten the chance to explain…I really wanted to know…" Usopp mumbled quietly. The others nodded silently.

xxxx

Luffy made his way to the observation room, hesitating for only a moment before opening the door. He peeked inside to see Nami sitting with her knees drawn to her chest on the couch surrounding the book cases. She turned to look towards the door when it had been opened. However, when she saw him, she quickly turned away from him, in which he didn't fail to see the sad frown.

"He's gone then…?" She asked in a voice so low, he almost didn't hear her.

"Yes…" He replied as he stepped into the room and closed the door.

She nodded softly and almost invisibly. Then she sighed and lowered her head. She couldn't stop the tears that gathered at her lids. She watched as her vision blurred, and then cleared as they began to drop one by one to her legs below.

"Nami…"

"Can I just be alone…please…?" She said quietly in a shaky voice.

Luffy's frown deepened as he took a few steps forward. He hadn't failed to hear the tears in her voice. "Nami…we had to…L was right in deciding to turn him in. I mean, I guess I may have just left him in his world, but…I didn't really like the idea of him hurting anyone else. He was bad Nami, don't you understand that?!" He asked, getting a little upset. He just couldn't understand how she could be this upset for someone like that.

"Of course I do!" She cried as she lifted her head to look at him.

"Then why are you so upset?! I don't understand!"

"Because, I am! You saw that he was a bad person, but did you ever stop to think as to _why_?!"

"Why, doesn't matter!"

"It matters!"

"No…it doesn't! He was still a bad person, and he didn't look like he was gonna change that any time soon!"

"He was a bad person because of what happened to him, Luffy!"

"How do you know it wasn't all a lie?!"

She paused, her eyes seeming to see right through him. "No…it wasn't a lie…He was in so much pain…" She whispered after awhile.

Furrowing his brows deeper, he took a few more steps forward. She seemed to refocus on him again, a frown replacing her look of sadness. "Nami…We had to do what we had to do! What did you expect?!"

"I don't know! I just…I just didn't want that! I didn't want him to die!"

"He wouldn't have hesitated to kill any one of us, even you!"

"I _know_ that!" She screamed, more tears coming to her eyes as she quickly stood up and took a few steps towards him. "I know that…" She said in a much calmer voice as she covered her face with her hands. "I just…I just wanted him to get better – to stop suffering – to stop fighting…" Then she looked up at him again. "I didn't want him to _die_ like that, Luffy!"

"The way he was headed, he was dead already!"

Nami jerked with a hiccup at his words, her eyes widening. Then she shook her head. "No…no he wasn't! Luffy…he hadn't experienced any happiness his whole existence! So many horrible things…So many horrible things happened to him! So much death…suffering, betrayal…so much pain…"

"He was probably the cause of it all!"

"Stop it!" She screamed as she brought her hands to her head. "No…it wasn't his fault…"

"Nami…what are you talking about…?" He asked, becoming worried.

"Shanks…and Ace…and everything…" She whispered.

"Nami…?" He questioned, just wanting to know why she seemed to be in so much pain herself. "What about them…?" He asked, wondering why she brought them up.

She looked up at him then, her eyes glossed with her tears. Then she frowned at him, feeling a little upset. "They died…"

He blinked, his eyes widening slightly in shock. "Died…?"

"Yes, died…They were both killed…Murdered, senselessly by the government…Ace suffered before he died…He was only eleven!"

Luffy released a shaky breath as he continued to stare at her in shock. "They both suffered Luffy…They were tortured, prodded…When he…escaped that hellish place, he just ended up in another hell…A hell where he was molested and beaten, but couldn't do a damn thing about it!"

Luffy blanched, his face paling of color. "You don't know that he had a problem with cleaning! He had to clean everything! All of it by himself! If he didn't he…it's was like…" She started as she shook her head and clenched her eyes and teeth tightly, baring her teeth in the pain she felt and holding her head. "He just _had_ to…It was…It was horrible…Whatever they did to him…" She started, beginning to sob as she sank to the ground.

Luffy could only furrow his brows deeply, and gape at her. "Whatever they did to him…_made_ him like that…He was never given a reason to trust anyone! So much pain…" She cried loudly as she sobbed. "And you just left him to die…"

Swallowing nothing, but swallowing it hard, he felt his entire mouth dry out. He took a step forward, but then stopped. "Nami…That stuff doesn't matter, regardless of what happened to him, he was still a bad person. He still hurt people, Nami. You included…"

She looked up at him through her tears in a disbelieving frown. "Do you not hear yourself?!"

"Yes, I do, Nami! He was weak!" He exclaimed, getting upset again.

Her eyes widened as she gaped at him, the tears falling. "Weak…?" She finally managed to whisper after a long silence. "Weak…?!" She said in a much louder voice. She stood up then, her face slowly turning into a scowl. "_Weak_?!" She screamed as she finally reached him.

He winced at the sound of her voice. He wasn't sure he'd ever heard her use a voice like that before. "Listen to yourself, Luffy! How can you say he was _weak_?! He sure as hell beat the shit out of _you_!!"

"What?!" He yelled, his temper beginning to rise.

"He wasn't weak, Luffy! He was trying to be strong! Don't you understand, Luffy?! He was _you_!!" She finally screamed, the tears still streaming down her face. "He was _you_…Luffy…He - was – _you_!" She exclaimed as she poked his chest roughly for emphasis.

She hiccupped before taking a step back from him, shaking her head. Then she whipped a hand across his face in her anger before sprinting forward roughly bumping into him on her way out. She slammed the door behind her, leaving him there to gape wide eyed at the wall he now faced after the slap.

"_He was __**you**__!!"_

He furrowed his brows deeper as he slowly lowered his gaze. It was as if he was realizing this for the first time. That other man…it hadn't just been another man. That man had been _him_. She was trying to tell him that he hadn't been weak. He had been trying to be strong. Since they were the same man, who was to say they'd not have turned out the same? It was like he had some how blocked out that knowledge. Perhaps it was because who could never have imagined being like that man. He continued to lower his gaze. He'd made her cry…He took away her smile. However, he knew he couldn't talk to her, not right now.

Sighing, he faced forward finally, his cheek still stinging from the hit. He still felt upset about how much she'd care for that other him. She always seemed to treat him like the idiot she thought him to be, which never turned out good for him. Even now, she'd only hit him. Sighing, he finally turned to slowly make his way out.

Nami ran to the front of the ship, flying down the stairs as she hiccupped and tried to suppress her sobs. Everyone blinked at her in confusion as they watched her run across the deck. She ignored their glances as she ran up her stairs to her room and slammed the door behind her.

N frowned in concern as she stared at the door before turning the frown to L. He too was frowning in concern at her door. Then he turned towards where she had come. '_What the hell did he say to her?_' He thought to himself, feeling a little upset. Then he sighed and closed his eyes.

"What the hell did that idiot do to Nami-san?!" Sanji exclaimed, getting upset.

S's lips formed a tight line as he stared at the closed door. "Doesn't matter - not our place…" He said quietly and tightly.

Blinking, Sanji then turned to S in surprise. Zoro closed his eyes at S's words. It was true. Whatever happened between the two was between the two. Maybe if S told him so, the curly browed idiot might listen.

Nami fell onto her bed and just let herself cry. How could he possibly not understand? How could he have been so completely blind to have called himself weak? How could he have allowed himself to die? She was sure that that's what had awaited him on the other side, only death. No happiness, no love, no friendship, only death. He had suffered so much in his short life, and then for it to just end like that, without him getting the chance to experience any of those things. He would never get the chance to get better – to change. He would remain alone – so much loneliness…She could see that too. He was so alone, and now he would die alone. She continued to sob loudly into her bedding, clutching at them tightly. It hurt so much. She felt as if her heart were crying out.

xxxx

Both Luffy and Nami stayed out of sight for a long while after the argument. The crews didn't bother either. Both S and Sanji prepared the later than usual dinner. Everyone just kind of lingered gloomily and quietly on deck.

"Yo……What the hell…? Did someone just die? Please tell me no one died…"

Everyone quickly turned to the voice. "Jin…" L said as he stood and made his way to him.

"Is everything alright? I almost chocked on the thick atmosphere coming aboard…" Jin asked with a frown.

L chuckled softly. "No one died…If that's what you're wondering…"

He sighed loudly and quickly in some relief. "Well, that's good to hear…And the third Luffy?"

"Turned him in to the Garp of his world…"

"I see…" Jin replied with a nod. "You do realized, he's probably done a lot of bad in that world…So, he's mostly likely going to be executed…You know that, right?"

L shifted his gaze downward. "Aa, I realize that…"

"And…you're okay with that? You're okay with letting yourself die?"

L quickly looked up at Jin. "What?"

Jin just blinked at him, shifting his eyes quickly to the side and then back. "You know…since he was…another _you_…" He said as he nodded to him with emphasis. "You're okay with just letting yourself die?"

L only seemed to just gape at him. N swallowed hard before lowering her sad gaze. After awhile, L finally started blinking, his mouth opening and closing as he shifted his wide eyes around. "Holy shit…Don't tell me you're just realizing this for the first time?!" Jin said as he laughed a little nervously.

"No! No…I mean…" L said as he shook his head. "I just…"

"Never thought about it like that?"

L looked up at him and then frowned. "No…No, I guess I didn't…"

Then he turned to look at N. Her gaze was lowered, and her expression sad. _"I don't want him to die either…"_ He swallowed hard as he lowered his gaze. Then he turned back to Jin, feeling a little sick. "Doesn't matter…What else could we have done anyway…?"

"Nothing really…I just thought I'd ask to see if you were alright with that. He was a rotten apple…to the core…You know…you make a really scary bad guy…" Jin said with an exasperated smile. Then he looked around. "I mean…we've got quite a few bad guys, but _that_…I don't ever want to be at the other end of that…"

L swallowed hard again as he lowered his gaze. He never would have thought about himself as a bad guy, but now that he's seen it, it was scary…Really scary…

"Captain Jin…"

Jin blinked before turning to the voice. Then he shifted his eyes to Abel with a quirked brow, who was also making his way on board. Abel just shrugged and gave a soft chortle. Jin then gave his best smile and walked towards the other captain.

"What the hell happened here?"

"It's nothing I can't handle, Captain Alese." Jin said before stopping just in front of her.

"Why are you fraternizing with a bunch of pirates, captain?"

The crews perked immediately, the other half, mostly still dressed in their disguises. Usopp quickly pulled his Soge King mask over his face. "Fraternizing?" Jin asked in a quiet and calm voice.

"Yes, fraternizing. You will be writing a full report about all of this, right?"

"Yes, of course I will. I will write…every syllable, and turn it in like I should." He said as he came closer to her, his smile softening.

L blinked as well as N as they watched. L knew exactly the position and risk Jin was taking right now. If the other captain so chose, Jin would be in a hell of a lot of trouble.

"G-Good…I was told to come and check on your progress, seeing as you hadn't called in to make a proper report in a few days."

"Everything's been taken care of, as well as the threat. There's nothing to worry about, not any more." He said in a soft voice as he slowly reached up and tucked a hair behind her ear gently.

"Then…you will report it all...? And these pirates…?"

"Pirates? What pirates…? I see no pirates here. I see only good people - I see only you…"

She blinked up at him with a blush and a nod. "You go ahead back to your ship…Captain Alese. I'll do my report, like I said I would." He continued.

She only nodded and then turned to leave. As soon as she reached the dock and started walking, on faulty legs, her expression finally turned from a glazed look into a frown as she stopped.

"How did it go, Captain Alese?"

"Son of a bitch!" She exclaimed in anger.

"C-Captain…?" The man asked nervously and unsure.

"Ugh! I hate him!! How does he…_do_ that?!" She exclaimed with a massive blush.

"What did you expect from the biggest flirt in all the marines, sir?" Another man beside her asked.

"Damn it! Let's go! We're going back to the ship!"

Abel chuckled after the woman had left, turning to look at Jin, who had narrowed eyes at the empty space. "Holy shit, with that look on your face and the sound of your voice, I almost wanted to listen too…I'd have done anything for you…"

Jin turned and glared at him. "Shut it Abe…"

"Oh yes sir, right away, sir…Asshole…"

"Son of a bitch…" Jin mumbled as he turned back around, ignoring Abel's chuckles. "Ah, sorry about that…"

"I-It's okay……." L replied with a nervous smile and laugh as he scratched the back of his head.

Jin sighed then as he seemed to drooped. "You guys won't have to worry about a thing. I'll be sure to make up some half ass story and won't mention about you…I'm pretty sure we can come up with something…The higher ups will accept it, like they always do, as long as the truth doesn't leak out."

"Thanks, we really appreciate that."

"Well, you did stop a really horrible monster from reeking further havoc on our world. It's the least I can do…"

L nodded to him with a genuine smile. "I won't forget this."

Jin just snorted. "Don't worry about it…It's mostly my laziness and just not wanting to explain everything that happened here…"

L chuckled at that and nodded again. Then Jin looked around. "Where's the other one like you?"

L immediately lost his smile as he lowered his gaze. "Around…somewhere…"

Jin blinked at him in confusion. "Dinner's re-Ah…Captain Jin…" S said, having come out to announce dinner. "Will you be joining us?"

"Ah, no…not tonight…I have a lot I have to do. Thanks though." He said as he smiled and nodded to S. Then he nodded to L, "Good luck."

"Thanks, you too…"

Jin gave a smile, offering one to N with a slight bow, and waving to the crews before turning to Abel. "Abel…"

"Yes, sir, right away, sir…"

"Shut up, Abel…"

Abel's chuckles were the last thing heard as both disappeared over the side. L released a heavy sigh before turning to S. Then he looked at everyone else. "You all go ahead…I'm gonna go find Luffy…"

They nodded before heading to the dining room. N stopped and turned to him. "What about Nami…?"

He sighed, turning to her door. "You can probably take her some food…but you know she most likely won't take it…" He said quietly.

"Un…you're right about that…" She replied softly with a sad frown as she stared at the deck. "I guess it is best to leave her alone for now." She said before turning to follow the others.

L watched her disappear inside before turning towards the back. With a heavy sigh, he headed in that direction. He reached the back of the ship and then looked around, not seeing him anywhere. He frowned deeper as he looked around. He went into the observation room, but found it dark and empty. He checked the bathhouse, nothing. He went back out, scratching his head again before looking up. He couldn't see the roof of the bathhouse, and figured that was as good a place as any to hide out if one didn't want to be bothered.

With another sigh, he threw back his arms and then threw them towards it to pull himself up. He shot up towards the roof, landing on his feet in a squatting position. He looked up to see Luffy lying on the roof. He had his arms folded under his head with one knee drawn up, and was just staring up at the night sky.

"If you've come with a lecture, you can save it…"

L frowned before standing and slowly making his way to him. "No…No, I didn't come to lecture you…"

"He was us…"

L shifted his gaze down with a sigh. "Yeah…so I was reminded…"

"We sent him to his death…"

"Yeah……so I was reminded……"

"Nami hates me…"

L blinked at that his eyes a bit wide. "H-Hates you…?"

There was no reply from Luffy's end. "Luffy…what happened?" L asked as he came forward and then sat next to him. Then he blinked at the slightly darker color to one of his cheeks.

"She said a lot of things…Things I didn't really understand…Things I wish I didn't……about him…"

L furrowed his brows. "What about him…?"

"She told me the things that happened to him…"

"How does she know it wasn't a lie…?"

Luffy shook his head. "She was pretty sure it wasn't…" He said before sighing and then telling him everything Nami had said.

L stared down at him with horrified eyes, his face devoid of color. He swallowed as he shifted his gaze to the side. "Even…Even if he were to heal…after something…like that…It would take years…It's not something we could have done anything about…M-Maybe it's better this way…I mean…put him out of his misery…"

Luffy immediately shifted his gaze on L with a frown. L shifted his gaze back to Luffy, looking a little sick. They stared at one another for a long time before both sighed and drooped. "Nami still hates me…"

"I'm sure she will come around…She will have to understand eventually…"

"It's me she said didn't understand…Maybe I didn't, but…it kinda upsets me about how she's reacting to all of this…'T's like she cares about that other bastard more than…" He started, but then stopped and scoffed. "I dunno…"

"I don't think that she does…"

"Seems like it though…"

"Maybe you're thinking too much into it…"

"Well, you have your Nami…I don't…"

L sighed then as he drooped a bit. "I don't think that really matters, Luf-"

"You think she liked him better?"

"What?! _No_! Absolutely not-Luffy what the hell is wrong with you?!" L exclaimed in a fast ramble in disbelief.

Luffy only sighed himself, not really sure what Nami was feeling. What he did know, was that his cheek still stung. "I dunno…"

L just sighed. "So she's upset…"

"Aa…"

"I wonder why she's so upset about this whole thing…I mean, N didn't reacted that way…I don't understand at all…"

"Me either…That's why I asked if you thought she liked him better…"

L made of face of disgust as he shifted his eyes to Luffy. "No…No, I don't think you've got to worry about that…"

"I dunno…She didn't move away…"

"Luffy…I'm sure it's because she didn't have much choice…I think you're really putting way too much thought into this…Just give her some time, okay?"

"Mm…"

Sighing again, L stood up to get down, but then paused. "I'm sure everything will be alright, Luffy. I don't think it's anything you should worry about, alright?"

Luffy just sighed and nodded in reply. Sighing as well, L then jumped off, leaving an arm behind to lower himself to the deck before retracting his arm. Then he made his way towards the front.

After dinner, everyone just seemed to disperse. N frowned at L who was standing in the middle of the deck, staring up at the stars. She slowly approached him and then stopped. "You alright?"

"Aa…just a little confused…"

"About?"

L sighed before slowly turning to her. Then he told her everything Luffy'd told him about what Nami had told him about the other Luffy. Her face had lost all color, her expression taking on a sickly, pained expression.

"Oh my God…" She whispered as her knees seemed to wobble. She covered her mouth with her hands as she looked down.

"Nami…?" He questioned in concern as he approached her.

She shook her head as she closed her eyes. "Oh no…" She breathed.

"Nami, what's wrong?"

"She was right…Oh I wish I knew this before you…" She whispered, looking very sickly.

"Nami, what would it have mattered? He was still a bad person…"

"You don't understand…"

"No…No, I really don't! Why are you both so upset about this?! Why is _she_ so upset?!"

She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "It's because he was you Luffy…"

He shook his head. "But you've said that before. I just don't understand what you're saying, Nami…" He said with a look of confusion.

"How can you not understand?!"

"I just don't see how she can be this upset over this, how you can! I mean, doesn't she see how it's upsetting Luffy?"

"Maybe she does, but Luffy…He was you, Luffy!"

"I understand that…I've been reminded of that _ a lot_!"

"No, no I don't think you do…"

"Nami…?" L questioned with a frown.

"It's because he was Luffy…He _was_ Luffy…She cares about, _Luffy_." He only seemed to blink at her in confusion. "Because he was _you_, Luffy!" She exclaimed, trying to make him understand.

"Nami…" He said as he shook his head, looking more and more confused.

She sighed, looking exasperated as she looked around. Then she perked. "Okay, Luffy…imagine that other Luffy…about…about how bad he was. Imagine about how he hurt people and did all those bad things."

He quirked a brow at her. "Just do it, Luffy!"

He sighed, but then did as he was told, imagining every horrible thing the other Luffy had done, which was only succeeding in making him angry. He frowned as he looked up at her. "Now, imagine all the pain he's suffered…everything Nami had told Luffy. Imagine it all…and imagine how it made him…What it turned him into…"

He did so, frowning a bit, but still upset at how he could hurt anyone, especially Nami and N or anyone like N. "Now…imagine how you've sent him to his death…Imagine him suffering…before he died…" She said with a heavy tremor in her voice as more tears came to her eyes.

His frowned turned a bit sad at her tears. "Imagine it!"

He blinked before sighing and imagining it. All he could think about was, at least he wouldn't be hurting anyone, that he'd be being put out of his misery. "Now, Luffy…imagine that person was me…"

His eyes flew open in horror as his face lost all color. He swayed on his feet, feeling very nauseous as he looked up at her with furrowed brows in disbelief. "W-What?"

"Imagine that person was me, Luffy…How does it make you feel…?" She asked as more tears came streaming down her cheeks.

His expression turned pained. He felt unimaginable pain beyond belief. "Now do you understand?" She whispered with a hiccup as the tears continued to fall.

He stumbled to her before reaching out and pulling her to him quickly in a tight embrace. She buried her face in his chest, allowing herself to sob. "Oh, Nami, I'm so sorry…I'm so sorry…" He said as he held her tightly. He did understand, painfully so, and now he also realized just how uncaring they may have seemed towards them, cold even.

"It's because we love you, Luffy…It's because we love you…is why it hurts…Th-That's why we didn't want him to die…She wanted to save him…She wanted to save him…I wanted to save him…She loves him…She loves Luffy…Just like I love you…"

He clenched his eyes and teeth shut tightly as he bared his teeth in his feeling of pain. He and Luffy really had been blind. Even if they _had_ realized he was another one like them, they had failed to realize just what that might have meant to both Nami's.

"I'm so sorry…"

**To Be Continued…**

**Author's Note: **Uwah! Poor L! TT It's hard to see things when only looking through one end, ne? He felt no pity for himself, but just didn't realize how she might have felt…-3- It happens. Now, Luffy just needs to understand, ne? Anyways, how'd you all like it?! Did ya like it? Please let me know! Also, if you're confused…not sure if you would be or not…you are welcome to ask me, ne?! XD Ja!


	19. Chapter 19: Instinctual Folly

Crossed

**Author's Note: **I mentioned in chapter twelve about a small something with the crew mates. I had asked if anyone had noticed, but no one seemed to notice, or at least care to mention about it. So, in this chapter, I am finally going to reveal what that small thing is. A lot of you will probably say, Oh yeah…I noticed that a _long_ time ago…Or I may get, Oh, I didn't really notice, or care…_Or_ I may get, Holy monkey! I totally did not notice that! XO We will see. XD Anyways, read, enjoy…tell me what you thought after. Ja!

**Dedicated to heather a.k.a wheathermangohanssj4**

Why? Because he's a pervert…And I guess because he really helped me out with this chapter……

and because he's a pervert…Mostly because he's a perv…Yeah…

**Crossed**

**Chapter 19: Instinctual Folly**

The next morning, after everyone had rested and healed a little, everyone then gathered into the dining room to eat. Luffy and Nami joined the meal that time around, but neither looked well. Nami's face was a little on the puffy side, Luffy looking as if he'd not slept at all. Neither of them looked at the other, nor acknowledged anyone else's presence for that matter. Everyone else just frowned at the two, but didn't bother either.

Nate frowned at Nami, wanting to talk to her. No one seemed to have said anything about his presence yet, so he just waited to see what they'd do with him. He really didn't feel inclined to leave, seeing as he was their only ride home. He was prepared for any punishment that would be dealt him, no longer wanting to run.

Both S and Sanji placed the plates of food in front of everyone, everyone beginning to eat quietly. After the somber meal ended, everyone began to file out of the dinning room. L looked around as everyone just kind of dispersed. He sighed before looking at everyone again.

"I've decided we'd be leaving today…"

Everyone immediately halted to look at him. "A-Already…?" Nami asked quietly.

"Aa, it's best we get back home. I'm pretty sure we've got them worried. Two months is a long time to have gone missing."

"B-But, your eye!" Chopper cried as he ran up to L.

"I'm sure it will be fine…We have doctors back in our world."

"Absolutely not!" Chopper exclaimed with a hard frown.

"E-Eh?" L questioned as he gaped at Chopper with his one good eye.

"I wouldn't feel right if I couldn't be the one to tend to it and make sure it heals! You gotta stay until it's completely healed!" Chopper exclaimed with his hard frown.

L just blinked down at Chopper. They all heard a chuckle before turning to it. "You heard him. Doctor's orders, ya can't leave until he says ya can leave…" Luffy said with a grin.

Blinking at him instead, L's lips slowly formed into a smile before he also chuckled. "Aa…I guess so. I guess a few more days won't hurt."

"Shishishi." Luffy laughed softly with his grin as he nodded to L.

However, L dropped his smile and sighed as he turned to Nate. "But, can we trust you to stay that long…"

"You can!"

L blinked as he turned to Nami, as did everyone else. "Nami…" Nate called as he gaped at her.

"He wouldn't leave you here…" She said in a stern voice.

"She's right…I'm not going anywhere…" Nate said.

L nodded to him, but kept his frown. "There's also the matter of what to do with you when we get back…"

"D-Do with him…? Don't tell me you plan on turning him in too?!" Nami yelled as her expression turned into a worried and upset frown.

"Nami the whole reason we even got into this mess was because we were trying to bring him into custody…" L explained with a frown.

Nami's eyes widened before her expression turned into a scowl. "No! I won't let you! Not this time! I'm putting my foot down here! You can't take him! He can send you home, but you can't take him!"

"N-Nami…" Nate said in astonishment as his eyes widened.

L only gaped at her before frowning. "But, Nami-"

"No! No buts! I won't let you!" She said as she stepped in front of Nate, tears coming to her eyes.

"Nami, but…" Nate said as he blinked up at her.

"Nami…" L said. Everyone else could only gape at her. Luffy gaped at her before he frowned.

"Nami…it's okay…"

Nami gasped as she whirled around to Nate. "What?"

"It's okay…I'm willing to face my punishment. He's right. This whole thing is my fault. I won't run any more Nami…I'm ready to deal with my punishment."

"B-But…You can't do that! You-You don't deserve it! You're a really good person, and you saved me so many times…and…and protected me! I can't just let them take you!"

"It's okay Nami…It really is. I'm prepared for it. I've done a lot of wrong…My sister would have hated what I've become…You know…you remind me of her…She was always looking out for me, even when she's the one who needed the protecting…Thanks Nami…for giving me the chance to protect you…since I'd not been given the chance to protect her…" He said with a sad smile as she could only gape at him. Then he turned to L. "I'm okay with punishment. I'm okay with being turned in. I won't run, I pro-"

He was cut off by Nami popping him on the head. "Gah!" He cried as he grabbed a hold of his head. Then he looked up at Nami in shock as well as everyone else. "N-Nami…?" He questioned.

She stared down at him in anger, tears in her eyes. "You idiot! Maybe there was a reason she needed to protect you! She needed to protect you from yourself!" She yelled before turning to L. "Don't listen to him! He's not going anywhere!"

"B-But…"

"Oi, oi…Isn't that his choice to make…?" Zoro asked with an arched brow.

"Shut it!" Nami yelled as she turned her scowl on Zoro.

L stood where he was in thoughtfulness. "Alright…I've decided your punishment."

Nami immediately turned to him with wide eyes. "W-What?! No!"

"Luffy…" N whispered quietly as she frowned.

"Anything! I'll take punishment!" Nate exclaimed despite Nami's arguments.

"Nate!" Nami yelled as she turned to him in disbelief. Nate ignored her as he kept his eyes on L.

"I won't turn you in on one condition."

Nate's eyes popped open wide as Nami quickly turned to L. "W-What…?" He asked.

"I won't turn you in if…" L started before his face broke into a grin, "you join my crew."

"E-h?!" Everyone exclaimed as he just chuckled.

"J-Join your crew…?" Both Nate and Nami asked.

"Aa, that's right. This way, I can keep an eye on you myself, not only that, but let's just call it community service. You serve the marines as punishment and atonement. Keep showing me you can do good…"

Nate blinked at him still in shock before he slowly started to smile. "Aa…I can do that."

"Y-You really mean that?" Nami asked, hopeful.

L gave her a smile as if to say, you know me. "Of course, it's the least I can do for him and for you."

N smiled warmly at him, knowing that, of course he'd keep his word.

Nami's face broke into a grin before she leapt onto him in a hug. "Oh thank you!!" She cried.

"Ah!" L exclaimed in surprise as he blinked. Then he looked down at her, patting her back as he chuckled. "O-Of course…"

"Hmm……"

Everyone blinked and turned to the low hum. Luffy had his head lowered, his hat covering his eyes.

"Ah…" L blinked at Luffy before looking down at Nami.

Nami also blinked before releasing L quickly with a nervous laugh. "Ah! I-I'm sorry!"

"N-No….It's okay…" L replied with a nervous smile and laugh as he scratched his head. N just giggled, just happy about his decision as well.

Then L looked over at Luffy nervously. Luffy finally looked up with a grin. "That's great!" He exclaimed, in which L didn't fail to see how strained his grin was.

He frowned a bit before grinning back. "A-Aa…"

Both just seemed to laugh in a bit of forced laughter, in which everyone just looked back and forth between the two. Everyone seemed to fidget in the awkward and unknown atmosphere before both finally stopped laughing.

"S-Since we don't gotta train anymore…Maybe we can do fun stuff…"

"F-Fun stuff…? Uh…sure…That sounds great…"

Both then broken into the awkward laughter. Everyone just blinked and stared at both in confusion. N lowered her head, biting her lower lip. Nami's frown deepened before she sighed, having no idea what the hell was wrong with them. She then turned, heading to leave the ship.

"Where are you going, Nami-san?"

She stopped and turned to smile at Sanji. It really was great to be back with them again. "There's some things and money left back at the other ship. I'd really like to go back for it all."

"But, by yourself Na-"

"I'll go…"

Sanji blinked at being interrupted before turning to Luffy, who had already stepped forward. Nami turned to him, her face losing her smile and just gaped at him. She blinked a bit before she turned quickly to climb down. "Ah, no…It's okay. I don't need anyone with me. I can go al-"

"I said I'll go."

She stopped, not turning as she stared at the dock below. There was something in his tone that would not be dismissed. It was almost a command. She closed her eyes tightly.

"Oi…Luffy…are you sure that…?" Sanji started in some concern for Nami.

However, Luffy ignored him as he headed to her. L frowned and shook his head at Sanji, who sighed and closed his eyes. Nami finally moved to climb down, not saying anything. Luffy followed along behind her, and then disappeared over the side. Sanji sighed again as he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out his cigarettes. On a second thought, he furrowed his brows and offered one to S. S smiled and held his hand out.

"No thanks, I don't smoke…"

All of Luffy's crew quickly turned to him with wide eyes. S blinked and gaped at them all. "W-What? You never noticed…?" He asked.

Everyone tilted their heads before finally thinking about it. After awhile, they all just seemed to jaw drop. Not once had they ever really noticed that S had never had a cigarette in his mouth.

"I-I quit…once I joined the marines…Seemed as good a time as any to do it…" He explained as he rubbed his neck.

Sanji pulled his arm back, glancing down at the box before arching a brow at S. S just shrugged and offered a smile.

xxxx

Nami walked in silence ahead of Luffy, wearing a frown as she shifted her eyes to the back, but not turning her head. She wondered if he had offered to come because he had wanted to talk. Unfortunately, she wasn't quite sure she was ready to talk to him. A slight shiver ran down her spine, feeling as if his eyes may be boring into her from behind. Sighing, she just continued on towards the small ship she had shared with D and Nate.

As soon as they made it to the ship, Nami paused and looked up at it before slowly making her way on board. As soon as she made it over the rail, she walked towards the middle of the deck a ways before stopping. She looked around the entire ship, a sad frown on her face. The time she had spent there was horrible, but she just couldn't forget him. She still felt so sad for him. She reached up and rubbed her arms as she continued to look around.

Luffy made his way on board after her, and then just watched her as she stood in the middle of the deck. He watched as she seemed to just look around at everything. He frowned a bit as he took a step forward and to the side. His frown deepened when he noticed her look of sadness.

She finally stepped forward as she made her way to the cabin slowly. However, she paused again as she looked up. Luffy narrowed his eyes as he followed her. Nami looked up to the roof of the cabin, where she had usually found _him_ laying. Her expression turned even sadder as tears came to her eyes. She really wished that there could have been something she could have done to save him. She hadn't wanted him to die. She had saved his life, and even tried to when she thought he had needed saving _because_ of that fact, just for him to die anyways. With a heavy sigh, she finally walked towards the cabin door, leaning her forehead on it for a moment before opening the door.

Narrowing his eyes further as well as deepening his brows, Luffy slowly followed her, feeling himself getting upset. She walked into the room, and then just stopped again. She closed her eyes, feeling a little nauseous again as she recalled his telling her about his past. She felt more tears come to her eyes at the pain she had felt for him. All she could think about was at that moment, he was probably in a prison somewhere, being treated, which she was sure, none too kindly. She placed a hand over her mouth to stifle the nausea.

Slowly walking in, Luffy continued to watch her, becoming unhappier and unhappier by the second. Did she really care that much for his other self? He looked around the little room and then felt himself begin to stiffen. There was only one bed in the small room. His eyes widened as his brows furrowed deep. He then looked around further, noticing clothes strewn around in different places, male and female. His breath began to come in shaky pants as he clenched his teeth tightly. He turned his head when he noticed Nami began to move again.

She slowly approached one of the male shirts that had been tossed across the couch back. He watched as she slowly reached out a hand, touching the fabric softly. He ground his teeth, baring them a little as he felt anger build in him. After running her fingers across it lightly, she finally clutched at the fabric, lifting up the shirt and pulling it towards her. She stared down at it with a soft and sad expression. He bore his teeth further as he clenched his hands into fist. He felt something in him snap. He quickly stepped forward, startling the orange haired navigator.

Nami gasped, dropping the shirt as she quickly turned to look at him. She had completely forgotten he'd even been there – having been so lost in thought. However, she frowned deeply at his expression. Then her eyes widened into large brown orbs. He looked decidedly a lot like D at that moment, especially since his hat had fallen off at the speed he'd started walking. She quickly backed away from him in slightly fear, almost stumbling over some clothes on the floor.

"L-Luffy! What are you-"

She never got the chance to finish her sentence. He reached down, and lifted up her legs just before she almost backed into a wall. She gasped when he kept coming, pressing her hard into the wall, his arms holding up both her legs.

"Luffy!" She cried in alarm as she stared down at him in wide eyed shock as she placed her hands on his shoulders to push herself away from him.

"Is this what you like…? Being treated roughly or maybe with more _politeness_? Maturity…? Or maybe you just like someone who can plant a stupid tree?!" He asked with a hard expression.

"Luffy, what are you talking about?!" She cried in confusion, even more alarmed.

Narrowing his eyes, he didn't bother giving her an answer. Inhaling slowly, she looked down into his eyes and blinked a few times. He was reminding her more and more of _him_… "Luffy…" She whispered in shock as she continued to stare down at him.

Perhaps they were more alike than she first realized. "Did you like it?" he asked.

"W-What…?" She whispered as she furrowed her brows, her eyes still wide.

"Did you like what he did to you?! Is that why you tried to defend him?! Was it because you _liked_ him?!"

"Luffy! What the hell are you talking about?!" She screamed, feeling herself getting upset.

"Were you in love with him?!"

"W-What?! Luffy, you're crazy if you really think that!!"

"Well then you should like me better!"

"W-What?!"

"Okay, so then what the hell was all that just now?!"

"I just didn't want him to _die_, Luffy!"

"Why does it matter so much?!"

"It just does!!"

"Why?!"

"J-Just because, Luffy!"

"Why won't you answer?! Are you lying to me?!"

"No!! What reason do I have to lie to you?!"

"I dunno, you tell me!!"

"Aaah!" She screamed in frustration. "Luffy, put me down!!"

"Why should I?!"

"Luffy!!" She screamed in warning as tears of frustration began to spill from her eyes. "Put me down!"

"No!!"

She began to pant, feeling her body heat in her anger as she stared down at him. "Luffy, damn it!! What the hell is your problem?!"

"He's the problem!!"

"He's not a factor anymore!! Now is he?! You sent him back to die!!" She yelled, more tears coming down her cheeks.

"Stop saying that?!"

"Well it's true!!" She screamed as she struggled to get down.

"You seemed to like him a hell of a lot more than me! Hell, you seemed to like them _all_ better!!"

"Luffy, what the hell?! What are you talking about?!"

"Hugging them, kissing them!!" He yelled, feeling very upset and hurt.

"Luffy!" She cried as she looked down at him in shock. She was beginning to understand what this was all about. However, she couldn't help but to be upset as to how he chose to approach it, but neither ever really did have great tempers when pushed to anger.

"What've they got that I don't?!"

She felt her anger building further that he would even assume such a thing. "Everything!! They had common sense for starters!!"

"What?!" He yelled in disbelief.

She could see he was getting angry, but she didn't care at the moment. "Put me down!!" She yelled as she began to hit his chest and shoulders, more tears falling. She shivered when he began to growl. It reminded her so much of _him_.

"Everything…?" He said in a low voice.

She shivered again as she closed her eyes. He was even beginning to frighten her a little. He sounded so much like him now. "I hate you!!" She found herself crying out for his making her feel that way as she slapped him across the face.

His eyes widened slightly, his fears being confirmed before slowly turning back to her. He didn't want her to hate him. However, he had been so angry that she may have liked his other self more. He bared his teeth before reaching up and cupping the back of her head. He pulled her down, claiming her lips roughly. He was going to show her she was his, and only his. He was going to show her that he was the man for her, and no one else.

She was shocked at first as she inhaled sharply against his lips. However, her body immediately heated up as if she'd been set on fire. She found herself wrapping her arms around his head and responding in kinda and just as roughly. She didn't feel that barrier she had felt before with D. There was no barrier, only the heat. She knew this man was Luffy, her Luffy. She moaned when he thrust his tongue into her mouth as she took it in with hers, sucking on it none too gentle, and wrapping her legs around him as well.

Stumbling back some, he slid a hand to her rear to hold her up better as he took a few more steps back in some surprise. He hadn't actually expected this kinda of response from her. He tangled his fingers in her hair, tilting her head to the side to be able to taste of her better. She reached up, cupping his face tightly with her hands as she also thrust her tongue onto his mouth. They kissed one another with passion and quick vigor before neither could breathe from the suffocating and fast pace kiss, both panting.

After awhile, Nami finally pulled away, gasping for air. However, she didn't stop. She then began to bombard his chin and neck with kisses. He also inclined to do the same. He stumbled back some more, his legs growing weak on him as his body seemed to heat and tingle gradually. He finally stumbled back, slamming into another wall. He grunted, but didn't stop his rough assault on her skin. Nami continued to pant as she kissed him, Luffy's kisses seeming to set the skin his lips touched on fire. Something else D's kisses did not succeed in doing.

She released another soft moan as she sought out his lips once again. He found his other hand at her rear, as it seemed he was becoming weaker and having trouble holding her up. He stumbled forward again, before his shins hit something, both falling over. Both grunted as they landed on something soft, but still didn't feel inclined to stop, and neither seeming to care to slow down either.

Nami slid her hands up his face and into his hair, clutching at it as she continued to kiss him. He slid his hands out from under her and instead slid them up her legs and hips to her waist. She groaned as she then brought her hands to his front and began to quickly and almost violently unbutton his vest. He sat up a bit as he slid his hands under her shirt, quickly pulling it up. She lifted her arms as he pulled her shirt off, tossing it behind him. She finally got the last button before he about ripped it off, tossing that too.

Their arms went back to each other, touching, feeling, any exposed flesh they could find. He growled deeply as he kissed her, lowering them both back into the bed as he ran his hands across her ribs. Then he began to place quick kisses down her neck and shoulder. She ran both hands down his chest squeezing his pecs before continuing down to his hard abs. Her pants became labored as he placed kisses down her shoulder to her chest.

"Haa…!" She breathed loudly as she leaned her head back.

He continued to quickly slide one of his hands up and under her bra, cupping her breast. She gasped loudly, releasing an exhaled moan as she arched into his hand further. He reached his other hand under her to unclasp it. However, when he couldn't get it undone, he grunted and just ripped it off. He lifted her slightly to get it off, tossing it into the room as well. The navigator felt no remorse for the ruined garment. After all, it had gotten in the way. She released another gasp when her bared, soft chest pressed against his hard one.

Continuing to kiss down her chest, he leaned up a bit once he reached her ample mounds, kissing over them before finding a nipple. He latched onto it greedily, beginning to suck on it none to gently. Nami cried out, arching her back further as she buried her hands further into his hair, pulling him down further over her breasts. He ran a hand down her side and to her hip. Once his hand came into contact with cloth, he clutched onto, beginning to pull it down. When it didn't do as he wanted right away, he released a growl as he yanked on the skirt. A loud rip could be heard as he tore the garment off, yanking it from her body, and then throwing it into the room.

The sound of the tearing material only seemed to excite the orange haired woman further as she whimpered, tilting her chin up further. She slid her feet across the sheets, her legs instinctively spreading for him. When his hand came back to her hip, it only came into contact with more material, thinner material, but more material none the less. He growled again as he then ripped that off too, tossing it behind him. Nami began to moan into her pants as she clutched at his hair tighter, his growls stimulating her desire.

However, she only groaned in disapproval when she felt his coarse jeans against her soft skin. Seeming to understand the meaning of her groan, he reached down to undo his shorts before kicking them off. He sat up a bit, cupping her bare cheeks and lifting her up with him. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he moved them further onto the bed, and once in the middle, he fell forward onto her. She gasped and almost jumped when she felt his manhood touch her bare flesh, but then instead found herself moaning loudly as she began to kiss down his dampened chest. She slid her hands up his back, liking how slippery it felt with the sweat beginning to form on his skin.

"Mmm, Luffy…!" She exclaimed breathlessly as he cupped her breast again, kissing, licking and sucking on her ear.

She shuddered pleasurably and arched into him again, unwrapping her legs to press her heels into the sheets. Groaning, he slid up a little further, pressing his tip against her core.

"Haah…!" She exclaimed as her eyes shot open wide.

He pressed his body down onto hers which caused her to moan deep in her throat and melt against him, her eyes sliding shut. "Mmm…!" She exclaimed as she bit her lower lip.

He continued to place kisses down her lobe to her neck before finally sliding further up, pressing into her. "Aah!!" She screamed in shock as she felt pain shoot up her body.

He only grunted as his eyes slid shut from the exquisite feeling. He pressed in deeper, sliding his hands down her side to clutch at her hips. "Haa…!" He breathed in shock from the feeling.

"Aah! Luffy!!" She cried from the pain, but kept her legs spread as tears began to fall down her temples. She bit her lower lip harder to stifle the screams of pain that she wanted to release, clutching at his back, and digging her nails into his skin. "Mmm…!"

He continued to press into her to the hilt before finally pausing a bit, his pants labored and strained as he kept still for her. He clenched his eyes tightly as he clutched her hips, digging the tips of his fingers into her flesh. "Nngh…!"

"Haa…aah!" She breathed as she pushed her heels into the bed, trying to endure the pain.

Luffy clenched his teeth, her movement only succeeding in exciting him further. "Nn…Nami…!" He exclaimed in a strained voice.

Blinking against the tears, she finally released her lip from the bite as the pain began to subside. "Haa…ha…" She breathed, before moaning and clenching around him.

His hips jerked at the feeling of her tight walls, tightening even further around him. "Aah!" He exclaimed from the shock as his eyes shot open. "Nami…!"

She moaned as she arched her hips against his. With a groan, he then began to pull out and then push back into her. His eyes slid shut again from the pure sensual feeling of her damp heat around him. "Mmm…" He hummed as he began to pick up the pace and reclaim her lips.

Moaning against his lips, she slid her tongue into his mouth, coaxing his out into hers. She dug her heels into the bed harder as she began to move her hips to meet his deep thrusts, and cupped his face to better kiss him with the movement. His grip on her hips tightened further, almost painfully as he picked up the pace even more, slamming into her wonderful heat with a grunt. Then as their pants became loud and labored, he released her lips, placing the kisses down her neck and chest before reclaiming another of her nipples.

"Haa…!" She cried out as she arched her back. She then slid her hands back into his hair, keeping him at her breasts. The feeling she got from his tongue and mouth on her nipple was extraordinary. "Ooh, Luffy!" She cried as she then wrapped her legs around him to meet his quickening thrusts.

"Ngh…!" He cried out against her breasts as he slid his hands to her backside, tilting her hips up further to thrust in her deeper.

Nami cried out as she tilted her head back further, the new position exciting her. "Luffy!" She screamed as her hands immediately when to his shoulders, digging her nails into his flesh again.

"Haa! Nami!" He cried as he slammed deep inside her damp core.

"Aah!!" She cried as the pleasurable build exploding inside of her. "Haah!"

"Nghmm…!" He exclaimed through clenched teeth as her orgasm caused her to clench around him further. The feeling excited him to no end as he cried out, his seed shooting into her. He collapsed over her, leaning his forehead onto the sheets beside her head. Both panted loudly - sweat now covering both of their bodies.

"Shit…" He breathed quietly beside her.

Nami stared up at the ceiling for awhile before she began to blink. What the hell just happened? It seemed thought and logic was finally beginning to reach both of their minds, after it seemed it had fled from them. Blushing, she reached up placing a hand over her face. Awkward didn't quite cover how both felt at that moment. After awhile, Luffy finally pulled out of her, his hair concealing his eyes. He turned and sat at the edge of the bed, leaning his elbows on his knees as he drooped forward.

Nami remained lying where she was, her eyes closed. There was no point in covering her body now, after what they had just done, even if that's what she wanted to do. She brought up her other hand to cover her face. Luffy reached up, running a hand across his. He had been angry and wanted to show her that she belonged to him. However, he had gone about it all wrong and had let his instincts kick in. Although, it seemed he hadn't been the only one.

"Damn it…" He whispered quietly.

He had _not_ meant for this to happen. After awhile, he stood up and went in search of his clothes and hat. Lowering her hands when she felt him get up, she sat up to blink at him. She blushed at the sight of his nude body, and then quickly got off the bed to search for clothes for herself. She vaguely remembered his having torn most of her clothes off from her. Blushing further, she quickly made her way to the closet, pulling out some more clothes to change into. She quickly clenched her eyes shut at the questioning eyes she knew she'd receive for having on different clothes, her blush deepening in embarrassment.

Quickly pulling the clothes on, she then turned to him just as he roughly pulled his vest on, not bothering to button it. He slammed his hat on his head, turned, and then left the room quickly. Her chest tightened as tears gathered in her eyes, blurring her vision. She began to take heavy, loud breaths as the tears continued to gather to the point until there was no more room for them at her lids. She let them fall as she sunk to the ground slowly.

Luffy made his way out of the cabin with a growl. How could he have been so stupid? He clutched at his head as he turned the corner. How could he have done that to her? "Damn it! Damn it!" He whispered loudly and forcefully.

Now there's a damn good chance he got her pregnant too. "Damn it!!" He yelled as he turned and punched the cabin wall.

Then he gasped as his expression turned surprised. He immediately stepped back form the cabin as he gaped at it. Right next to the hole he just punched into the cabin was another hole about the same size. He finally managed to blink as he stepped forward and reached up to run his fingers over the splintered hole. Had his other self created this hole? He closed his gaping mouth as he furrowed his brows deeply, dropping his hand. It seems both only seemed to cause her pain. It seems he was no different than his other self. He immediately drooped forward, dropping his forehead onto the cabin.

"Damn it…" He whispered.

At the loud crack in the wall, Nami jumped up high in surprise as she let out a cry. She then hugged herself as she clenched her teeth as it only reminded her of that time. She leaned her forehead onto the ground, beginning to sob. She had felt pain then too. Only this time, it felt much worse. She felt so incredibly empty.

xxxx

After she had stopped crying, she had finally made herself get up to start gathering her maps and supplies up. Then she brought the suitcases of money out from under the bed and placed them on top of it. She stayed where she was for a long time as she stared down at the suitcases. She slowly leaned down over the suit cases, pressing her palms onto one. She never would have thought that she'd lose her virginity by one of the members of her crew, namely her captain, but…she definitely never would have thought she'd have lost it in that way.

It was almost carnal…a need…As soon as his lips had touched hers, it was as if instincts had taken over – that need had taken over. She hadn't been able to think at all, only feel. It seemed it had been the same for him. However, the way he had retreated after, she noticed he had retreated into guilt. He had felt guilty – maybe even shame. She would have rather he had not left her like that. Maybe he was still angry….even after all of that. Anger…Jealousy…Hurt? Had that been what he'd been feeling? Was that why…they had done what they'd done? Out of anger? But why?

Even after everything, even after meeting N and L, she never would have guessed that he'd had feelings for her. Luffy was never one to show anything but his goofy nature. However…that's not how he was right now. How she longed to see that grin. But why? Why had she longed to see it? Was it just because D had been so horrible, that it had almost grown into a need to see Luffy again?

Sighing, she closed her eyes and leaned deeper onto the suitcases. What had he been talking about? Was he out of his mind…? In _love_ with D…? Hardly…but she did feel for him. Also, what the hell had that been all about just now? How could _she_ have let something like that happen? Wasn't she usually the sensible one? ... Maybe not…

Luffy stood at the railing, finally having released the splintered wood after the crying had stopped. The moment he'd hit the wall and leaned against it, he had been able to hear her painful sobs. He had wanted to go to her, but figured he was the last person she would want to try and comfort her. So he had gone to the rail and waited it out. However, the more and more of her cries he heard, the more painful it became for him. So much so, that he had gripped the rails so hard that it had cracked under the pressure.

However, he remained where he was until she had finally stopped, knowing he couldn't really do anything for her. He wasn't sure he could handle a rejection at this point, even though he deserved it. He leaned forward on the rail, his hair falling to the front and concealing his eyes, his hat having fallen back again from his punch earlier. It now hung loosely on his back. How the hell was he supposed to fix this now? He just made everything worse between them. How did it turn from rescuing her to hurting her?

Sighing to herself, the orange haired beauty finally stood up straight, lifting up some of the suit cases. She walked out, set them down, and then went back in for the rest of her things. She needed to pack her clothes still, and then bring it all out. Luffy turned once he heard her set them down. He frowned sadly and looked away when she didn't bother to look around. He walked over, picked them up and then set them next to the rail.

Going back in, she then began to pack up all her clothes, just using the bags she bought them in. Gathering her maps and materials, she then walked out but then paused. Looking over, she saw Luffy, standing with his back to her, the suitcases next to him. Her heart took a leap as she swallowed hard. Her cheeks flushed before she quickly set the bags down and then went back inside. She took a few breaths, trying to calm herself down. It was still kind of hard to believe that they'd been so intimate only a few moments before. Taking one more deep shaky breath, she then grabbed the last few bags and suit case, and then made her way out.

As soon as she walked out, he was already leaning down to pick up her things. He quickly looked up at her, it seemed a bit startled, before looking down and quickly leaning the rest of the way down to pick up her things. She flushed darkly after he'd leaned down. Their eyes had met for a brief second. She leaned down and picked some of her things up as well. She wondered if he'd be able to carry it all. After he'd went back and forth and grabbed just about every bag from deck and had carried them all down, he then picked them all up, besides the ones she could carry, and then headed back to the ship.

Even with his large load, he didn't seem bothered at all by it. Walking a long behind him, she blinked to herself, gulping as she blushed again. It felt awkward looking at him now, seeing as she's seen under those clothes. Shifting her eyes away quickly, she took a few deep breaths as she closed her eyes. However, she then started to think about the strong hands and arms holding all her bags, and how they'd touched her. Making a noise in her throat, her eyes flew open and then she shook her head, clenching her eyes shut tightly again.

'_Stop it!_' She yelled at herself in her mind.

Sighing, she then frowned when she remembered what happened after it. Shifting her eyes back to him, she then just watched him. They hadn't spoken a word since. She had no idea what was going through his mind at that moment. She had no idea for his reason for what happened in there, if he had a reason at all. Her expression turned sad as she closed her eyes again.

Once they made it back to the ship, he carried everything aboard, even the things she'd been carrying. She only watched him as he worked in silence, not looking or speaking to her at all. She climbed aboard and then picked up some of her stuff. She flushed slightly, ignoring everyone's eyes as she made her way to her room. Luffy picked up the rest of her things and followed her.

Everyone had looked over to them, some in concern, and others in curiosity as they had made their way on board. Neither were talking, or looking at the other for that matter. Also, most of the crews noticed her change of clothing and quirked brows over it. L blinked as his mouth parted a bit. He looked from Luffy, to Nami, and then back again.

"Luffy…?" N questioned as she looked at him in concern before looking at the two.

She noticed the change of clothes, but wondered why L looked so worried. Although…she wasn't sure she'd have changed if it had been her. She frowned, now also wondering about the change of clothes.

"Oh no…" L breathed almost inaudibly.

Blinking, N turned back to him. He looked to have paled some. "Luffy…?" She questioned again, becoming more worried. Frowning, she turned back to the open door.

"Nami...would you have changed clothes?"

N blinked a bit more before her eyes widened a bit. "N-No…No, I don't think so…"

L swallowed hard.

Luffy set all the bags down in the middle of the room before turning towards her, but not looking at her. Ignoring him, she then began to pull the clothes out of the bags to put away with the rest of her clothes. Finally looking up at her, his expression just turned pained when she seemed to be ignoring him all together. Closing his eyes slowly, he then turned and walked out. At hearing him walk out, she paused and just stood still. Tears came to her eyes before she finally started moving again.

L watched as Luffy walked out of the room, grabbing his hat, and placing it on his head, concealing his eyes with it. He continued across deck, making his way to the other side. L watched him pass and walk up the stairs before moving to follow him.

"Luffy…?" N questioned as she grabbed his arm.

He turned to her with a frown. "It's nothing. I just want to talk to him, okay?" He said with a strained smile.

She frowned deeper, but then nodded and released him. He turned and trotted after Luffy. He ran up the stairs just as Luffy was about to make it to the back.

"Luffy!"

Pausing, but not turning, Luffy remained where he was, waiting to hear what L had to say. L gulped as he stared at Luffy's back. He was afraid to ask what he wanted to ask, and even more afraid of the answer. After while, Luffy finally turned his upper body to L in question to his silence after calling his name, wearing a serious frown on his face.

"Um…W-What happened…?" L finally asked.

Luffy's brows furrowed deeper as well as his eyes narrowing, and then he looked away. "Nothing…"

"N-Nothing…?" L questioned with a frown. "Something must have happened…"

Luffy quickly shifted his eyes back to L, his frown deepening. "It's nothing…" He replied before looking away again.

"Luffy…" L said as his breath began to quicken as sweat beaded down his face, "di-did…you…f-force yourself on Nami…?"

Quickly shifting his eyes back to L, Luffy's eyes then widened as his brows furrowed. "What?! No! What the hell?! Why are you asking me that?!"

L released a loud shaky breath as he sank to the ground in relief. "Oh thank goodness…"

"What the hell?!" Luffy asked again as he took a step forward.

L immediately lifted his gaze to Luffy. "Well I had to ask!! I mean, yeesh Luffy, she had on different clothes! I could only assume that you'd…I dunno!!"

Face turning a deep red, Luffy looked down at L in disbelief. "What?! J-J-Just because she had on different clothes?!"

"Well, yeah!! What other reason would she need to change clothes unless something happened to her previous ones?! N had even said she'd not have changed clothes!"

"So then your first assumption was that I _forced_ myself on her?!"

"Well, damn it, I don't know!! I'm doubting myself now!!"

"Doubting yourself…? What the hell're you talking about?!"

Sighing, L drooped further as he placed his palms on the ground. "J-Just something Jin said…is all…"

"What? Jin? What about Jin?"

"He came aboard last night…Said he'd take care of the whole thing…but…he said some other things that I couldn't really shake…"

Luffy just blinked at L in confusion, wondering what the hell he was talking about. "Eh…?"

"He said we make a really scary bad guy…and then there's all that stuff you told me that Nami'd told you…He wasn't born like that…He was made that way…I just…I dunno…Just…doubting myself. You're a good person too…so if you had…you know…Who's to say I wouldn't do something like that too…if I were angry enough…"

Luffy's expression turned pained as he looked away from him. He had been doubting himself as well.

"Well…"

L looked up then. "Well?"

"I _was_ angry…and…might have…screwed up really bad…"

"What?! What do you mean?! What happened, Luffy?!"

"I did…sleep with her, but…it was…pure instincts…"

"_What_?!" L screeched as he stood up and stomped over to him, grabbing him by the vest. "So then you _did_ force yourself?! How could you lie to me?!"

"No, no!!" Luffy exclaimed as a huge blush blossomed on his cheeks. "She was willing!! I promise, but…we had been arguing like right before! It was…I dunno! Like…kinda like an accident!" He exclaimed in a rush before drooping a bit. "And…I felt really guilty afterwards…I hadn't meant for it to happen…and then…I made her cry…I just left the room because I was…ashamed…but it made her cry…I had felt angry that…it happened like that…"

L could only gape up at him, not really sure he understood, but the more he thought about it, the more he did understand. He released Luffy, letting him back down on his feet. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he turned away from L, feeling ashamed.

"L-Luffy…" L called before scratching his head. "I think…I understand what happened…"

Luffy blinked, shifting only his eyes to L. "Yeah…?"

"Yeah…and…you should really talk to her about it…"

Sighing and drooping further, he turned away from him again. "But she probably _really_ hates me now…" He said in a low voice.

"Yeah…possibly…" L agreed, much too quickly.

Luffy immediately turned pursed lips on L, as if to say, 'You're not helping…'

"But that's why you have to talk to her Luffy…"

He sighed and looked away again, his expression sad. "Yeah…I guess I do…Maybe tomorrow…Give her some time…"

"You should have talked to her right after Luffy…"

"I know…but I just couldn't face her after what I'd done…I had accused her of liking that other me…just before…" He said in a small voice as he let himself slide to the ground from the wall of the ship.

L drooped as he lowered and shook his head. "Aw, Luffy…"

"I wanna tell her I'm sorry…but I'm afraid that…"

L paused after it seemed Luffy didn't seem to want to say anymore. "I know what you mean…There's a lot neither of us is afraid of…but that…"

"Anything but rejection…from the woman we love…huh?"

"Aa…anything but that…"

"Damn…I'd rather fight that other me again…than do this…I don't want her to hate me…" Luffy whispered as tears formed in his eyes.

"I really love her…"

**To Be Continued…**

**Author's Note: **DOOOOH!! Luffy, you idiot!! XO So, I bet you guys weren't expecting that…Were you? HAHA! GOOD! 'CUZ NEITHER WAS I!! XD This was a spur of the moment idea. Yes, I give you permission. You are welcome to hate me and this story. I don't really care. If you don't like it, then don't read it, simple as that. You better appreciate this, you perverts!! Yes, I am talking to you heather, Al, Ryo, and Mihase! You pervs…You guys make me sick! XO Anyways! Give me your thoughts! I wanna hear(see) them!! XD


	20. Chapter 20: New Beginnings

Crossed

**Author's Note:** Sorry I took so long, but I've stopped writing during the week. I need to focus on my real life instead of writing these stories. So anyways, here it is! Enjoy and review! Ja!

**Crossed**

**Chapter 20: New Beginnings**

N walked around towards the back, looking around in some confusion. L still hadn't come back to the front, and it had been over half an hour since he'd gone to talk to Luffy. She frowned when she turned the corner, but didn't see anything.

"Hmm…?"

Making a small noise from being startled, she immediately looked down to see him staring back up at her with a wide, blank expression.

"L-Luffy…what are you doing sitting down there…?"

L sighed and then looked down. "Just thinking…"

"Where's Luffy?"

L just pointed upward. Blinking, N followed his finger towards the roof of the bathhouse. "Oh…" She said with a bit of a sad frown. "Did you get to talk to him?"

"Aa…"

"And?"

Sighing again, L just drooped forward a bit more. "Luffy…?" N asked frowning further.

"It seems…things have only gotten worse between them…He's really down about it…"

"You seem pretty down about it too…"

"Aa…"

"Why?"

"Feel guilty…" He mumbled, keeping his head lowered.

"Guilty? Luffy, what happened?"

"I just can't help but to feel this whole thing is our fault…If we had done a better job…Or…something, I don't know…It's like…we messed it up for them…"

"Luffy…" She said in a gentle voice, and sad frown. She then slowly leaned down to sit next to him. "Luffy, what happened?"

With a deep sigh, L explained to her everything Luffy had told her. "Oh!...Oh…" N said with a slight flush of her cheeks after he'd explained and a hand to her mouth. "I-I…um…that-that is…horrible…" She blinked and then looked away.

L turned and frowned at her, a little confused by her reaction. "Mm…?"

She took a deep breath and tried to erase the blush on her cheeks. "I-I can see how it might be…awkward…to say the least…" She said as she began to fidget. "M-Maybe I should go talk to her…Un, I think I will go talk to her…" She continued as she stood and began to turn the corner.

L just blinked at her wide eyed. "Mm…?"

She turned and smiled down at him nervous. "I'll just talk to her…and see how she feels about the whole thing, okay?" She said before disappearing around the corner.

He continued to stare at the blank spot where she'd been standing with wide eyes in confusion. Then he tilted his head. "Mmm…?"

N walked quickly to the front, blush still staining her cheeks. '_Wow…_' She thought to herself. '_I can't believe that they actually…_' Swallowing hard, she then looked forward. Having been told that had made her feel a little awkward with being alone with L. It was sad though, seeing as it left both Luffy and Nami feeling so horrible. She frowned at that. She'd always imagined her and L's first time being beautiful, and so full of love. Drooping and slowing her pace, she looked back down to the ground.

Their first time had been for the wrong reasons and, she figured, left them feeling empty. It _was_ horrible…She was sure Nami probably _wasn't_ in a talking mood, but she felt she did need to talk to her about it. She made her way across the deck, and then climbed the stairs. She came to the door and then knocked softly.

"Nami…can I come in?"

"Sure…"

She frowned at how low and soft the response had been. Sighing, she finally opened the door to see Nami sitting at the edge of her bed, her back to the door, and clothes strewn about the room. She blinked at all the clothes everywhere before finally making her way in with a sad frown.

Nami stared down at the clothes on the floor at her feet. She then thought about the clothes that had been strewn about in that room. She had really left it in a mess. She didn't really want to imagine what would have happened to D had he seen it. However, at the time, she had been furious about his having hidden the log pose. He'd taken it while she'd removed it to sleep. She wasn't sure if he'd just wanted to be a jerk, or if it'd been some kind of joke, or what. She'd thrown clothes everywhere to try and find it, all the while cursing him to herself.

At the moment, she hadn't cared that she'd made the room a total mess, or what he may have done had he seen it. Thinking on it now, she was glad he hadn't gotten the chance to see it. It might have made her feel even guiltier for having done that to him.

N silently walked up to the bed and sat down. "Nami…are you alright?"

"Sure, why shouldn't I be…?" She asked in a voice devoid of any emotion or feeling.

Frowning sadly, N closed her eyes with a sigh as she looked away. "I know…what happened…" She finally managed to say.

Nami stiffened as her eyes shot open wide. Then she furrowed her brows. '_Of course she knows…_' She thought to herself. She should have known that Luffy'd talk to L about it, and then L would tell N. It's not a big deal though. N was her, after all. She felt herself relaxing as she focused on the floor again.

Frowning, she stared at Nami's back, having noticed her stiffen. "D-Do you want to talk about it?-Well, of course you don't, but…" She said, answering her own question. She knew she wouldn't want to talk about it. "Um, it might be better…if you did…"

"It was an accident that shouldn't have happened…Not really much to talk about…"

Frowning sadly, N seemed to deflate as she looked away. The sound of her voice sounded awful. It lacked all emotion or care. It was as if she didn't really care all together about what happened. N hugged herself as she turned her body away. Tears came to her eyes as she stared down at her lap.

"It should have been something beautiful…" She whispered inaudibly.

Blinking, Nami's eyes opened fully as she turned to look at N. Her lips parted in a gape when she noticed how sad N was and that she looked about to cry.

"W-What?" Nami asked quietly.

"It should have been something beautiful!" She almost yelled as she turned an angry face on Nami and standing to face her. "Not something you should lack to care about! You know, even though I'm you, I don't understand you at all right now!! I could understand if you were sad, but-but…_this_! I have no idea…w-what's going through your mind! He's hurting too, you know!! Aah!" N exclaimed as she grabbed her head and turned back around, plopping back down on the bed.

"I'm sorry…" N said after she'd calmed down. Nami only continued to gape at her. "It's not just you…I mean…Forget it…"

Blinking after awhile, Nami turned back around to face forward. "No…I'm sorr-"

"We're just different…is all…even if we are the same…"

Furrowing her brows, Nami turned back to her. "What?"

"We see and feel things differently…" N said softly, her back still turned. "I can understand how you would feel about that other Luffy, but…I don't think I could…put him above _my _ Luffy…ever…"

"Eh?" Nami breathed softly as her eyes widened. "Put him _over_ Luffy?!" She asked, feeling herself get upset.

N turned to her with a frown. "That's what this is all about, isn't it? You made him jealous…made him get upset…because of that other Luffy…"

Nami stood up then. "Are you saying this is _my_ fault?!"

Staring at her for awhile, N finally sighed and turned away. "No…"

Relaxing a bit, but keeping her frown, she continued to stare at N's back. Then she closed her eyes, turned, and then sat back down. "I never put that other Luffy over him…"

Shifting her eyes towards Nami, but didn't turn her whole head, N just waited to see if she'd say anymore. "It was…just sad…is all…None of you saw…what I saw…What he would turn into…The look on his face…He was so terrified…I've never seen that look on Luffy before…He was so scared…but…it was like…he wasn't all there…As if he'd gone back to a time…that was…so painful and terrifying. As if…he were a child again…How could they…do that to him…He was only a child…" She whispered as tears came to her eyes.

N clenched her eyes tightly, not wanting to think of anything like that happening to Luffy. "I just…can't forget…I'm sorry if it causes…trouble…" Nami continued as she shifted her eyes downward. "I'm sorry if it made him upset…but I just couldn't…"

"You should tell him that…"

"I can't…"

"Why not?"

"He wouldn't understand…"

"L did…"

Nami turned to look at her slowly. "H-He did…?"

"Un…You should just talk to him…"

Frowning, Nami turned away again. "He left me there…He doesn't want to talk…"

Expression turning sad, she looked to look at her. "You know why he left…"

"He still shouldn't have!"

"Nami…"

Sighing, Nami shook her head. "I don't really feel like talking about this anymore…I'm tired…"

Sighing as well, N's expression then furrowed into a sad frown. Then she stood to leave. "He does want to talk…" She said before leaving.

Turning to the now closed door, Nami only took slow, deep breaths before turning back to the room. She slowly stood and began to clean up the clothes on the floor.

xxxx

The next day, Luffy slowly made his way up the stairs to Nami's room. He'd promised L that he'd try and talk to her that day. He walked up to the door and stared at it for awhile. Sighing, he finally slowly lifted a hand and knocked.

"Who is it…?"

"I-It's me…Nami…"

There was silence on the other end. He clenched his teeth before taking a deep breath. "Can I please come in…?"

There was only more silence. He clenched his eyes as he retracted into himself a bit as his temper began to build. "Do as you like…"

His eyes flew open as he released a breath. He stood up straighter as he blinked at the door. Frowning tightly, he turned the knob to open the door. She was sitting on one of her couches, a book in her lap with her back to the door.

"Nami…I…" He started before clenching his teeth and fists tightly. "I'm sorry about yesterday. I didn't mean for that to happen…"

"Mm…" She hummed, but gave no other reply other than that.

His lips parted in a gape as he stared at her back. He watched as she flipped a page, not even paying him any mind. "Nami…?"

"I see…" She said softly, turning another page.

"You see…?" He asked, feeling himself becoming upset at her indifference.

So then, she wasn't willing to forgive him? Hadn't she also let it happen? His brows twitched a bit as he furrowed them deeper, baring his teeth slightly. "I see…" He said in return, his voice quivering a bit in his anger, and perhaps something else.

Nami furrowed her brows as she lifted her head slightly. "Have it your way then…" He said quietly before turning and leaving the room, his throat closing on him slightly as tears stung the back of his eyes.

Inhaling a bit, she quickly turned, just as the door closed. She bit her lower lip as his voice played back in her mind. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. What was wrong with her? She quickly got up, opening the door and running to the rail. "Luffy!"

He immediately stopped, his head lowered, and his hat hiding his eyes. However, he didn't bother to turn. She frowned sadly as she lowered her gaze. "I'm sorry too…"

Inhaling slowly as his lips parted and eyes widened, he finally turned to look up at her. She shifted her eyes to meet his, a slight blush staining her cheeks. "I'm sorry that I…caused you so much trouble…Y-You tried so hard to save me and I…" She started as tears came to her eyes. "I'm such an idiot…I'm sorry…" She continued as she began to wipe away the tears with the back of her hand.

His face relaxed as he frowned a bit at her, lips still parted. "I had been so sad over everything…and angry…that I…lost sight of…other things…I'm sorry that I put you in that position…" She continued as she hiccupped.

Everyone on deck blinked at her before frowning, not understanding what she was saying. "I only wanted to save him…because he was you…"

His eyes widened further as he gaped at her. '_Save him…because he was me…_?'

"Everything…that he had said…and everything…that had happened…What I'd seen…I could only see you…and it hurt so much…but I was so stupid…I ended up hurting you myself…I'm so sorry…" She cried as more tears fell. She furiously wiped at them as she cried loudly.

Turning his whole body to her, he frowned at her sadly before attempting a smile. "It's okay Nami…"

She hiccupped before meeting his eyes again, still wiping at her eyes. "I'm sorry for getting so mad…for doubting you…I'm sorry for all the stupid things I said…"

"You had a good reason to doubt me…" She said as she felt herself calming.

He closed his eyes and shook his head. "I should never have doubted you…but I was doubting myself…I think…"

She blinked at him before rubbing at her eye again.

"What the hell are they talking about…?" Zoro whispered to Usopp.

"I don't know…" He whispered in return.

He opened his eyes again, looking up at her as his smile turned warm. "Then we're okay?"

She smiled in return before nodding. "Un…"

He nodded in return before turning and continuing across deck. '_I'm so glad…_' He thought to himself before closing his eyes, keeping his smile in his relief. However, he stopped as he opened his eyes, his brows furrowing. He then turned to her, staring at her seriously.

Blinking, the tears still drenching her lashes, she parted her lips at him, wondering why he was looking at her like that. Turning fully, he walked up to her, looking up at her from below.

"Nami…?"

She blinked, her eyes wide and curious. "Yes?"

"You'd tell me…right?"

Her eyes widened more as she breathed in quickly. He had spoken quietly, for her ears only. Her cheeks flushed anyway as she shifted her eyes away from him. "Un…I'll tell you - if – um - when I…" She stuttered, not being able to meet his gaze any longer.

He continued to stare up at her, wondering what she was thinking, and why she'd reacted that way. She finally managed to shift only her eyes down at him. "I'll tell you…" She repeated down at him.

Giving a small sigh, he finally nodded before turning and walking away.

"Now what the hell are they talking about…?"

"I have no idea. I didn't hear a word they said…Did you?"

"Nope…" Zoro said as he kept his eyes on Luffy.

Luffy made his way to L, who had a smile on his face. Stopping, Luffy stared down at him before his face broke into a grin. "Time to have fun!"

L lost his smile, his one eye widening up at Luffy. "F-Fun…?"

"That's right! You said you'd have fun with me since you'll be staying here for awhile!"

N laughed softly from beside him. "You could always start off with something small, like fishing perhaps?"

L turned a frown on her. "Something small…? I always fish…" He grumbled.

She only laughed harder. Nami smiled as she watched. They were definitely different, but yet a lot alike. She quirked a brow. '_Did that even make sense…?_' Shrugging, she watched as Luffy began to tug at L's arm. She smiled, resting an elbow on the rail and her hand on her hand.

xxxx

A few days later, N and Nami were in the observation room, both going over a map that Nami was sketching. N was helping her out, having remembered a few things that she did not. However, both immediately perked when they heard loud shouting and laughter. Then both gasped when they heard something break. Breaking into a run, both stormed out of the observatory, making their way to the front of the ship.

Nami stopped at the rail and looked around. "What's going…on…?" She said as her eyes widened.

"Luffy…and L were running around the ship like crazed maniacs, laughing and it seemed, breaking things in their sporadic running through all the rooms and stretching to swing up the mast. "What the…?"

"Ah!" N exclaimed as she watched in shock.

Both had massive grins on their faces as they ran around the ship like a bunch of spazzed idiots. "Ooh! I broke something! Hahahaha!"

"I heard!!"

"Nami's not gonna like that!! Shishishi!!"

"Nope!! Shishishi!!"

"Ah! Nami!!"

Both Nami's could only gape at them as both ran up to them, massive grins on their faces. Neither were wearing a hat and were also wearing the exact same type of clothes, only in different colors.

"I broke something Nami! Sorry!" One said as he scratched his head, his grin never faltering.

"I made a mess, shishishi!" The other one said, the exact same expression and posture.

Nami looked from one to the other before a scowl broke out. "What the hell is the matter with you two?!" She yelled.

It seemed L had completely healed. His scar that now showed was completely identical to Luffy's, and both even had the same messy, wind blown hair. She couldn't even tell who was who. She continued to shift back and forth between the two. "Luffy, what the hell are you doing?!"

N could only continue to gape down at them. Both only laughed as they turned and began to run in a zigzag between the other. "We're having fun!!" They cried joyless and simultaneously.

"Oh my…" N breathed as she slowly rose up a hand to cover her mouth.

Nami turned to her, one side of her lips quirked in a frown. N's eyes were wide as she watched both the crazy idiots run a muck. Frowning in confusion now, Nami blinked at N. "Are you okay?"

"I've never seen him like this before…" She whispered as she seemed to focus on one of them.

Pursing her lips, Nami then turned to look at them both. "Can you even tell who is who? They both look like idiots to me!" Nami yelled as she then leaned over the rail. "Stop pulling on that!!"

N stared at them before a warm, loving smile spread across her lips. "Yes…I can…" She whispered as tears came to her eyes.

"Eh?!" Nami exclaimed as her eyes widened, and she turned to look at N. Her eyes widened further when she saw the smile on her face. "Eh…?"

Both Luffy's had turned at Nami's angry yells, but then shifted their eyes to N. They all watched as N turned and made her way down the stairs. Then she quickly walked across the deck to one of the Luffy's. His eyes widened as he watched her approach. She immediately threw her arms around him and kissed him.

Gasping, Nami's eyes widened completely as one side of her lips rose up. Did she really know who was who?! "Ah!"

The Luffy she'd chosen to kiss' eyes were still opened wide, but slowly widened still, the other Luffy to the side gaping at them with his eyes also wide. Everyone watched wide eyed, wondering if N really had chosen the right one, sweat beginning to bead down their faces. Then after awhile, his eyes softened, a small smile spreading across his lips before he closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around her.

"Ah!" Nami exclaimed in disbelief.

After awhile, Luffy recovered before he pouted. "That's not fair!! How could you tell?!"

N only chuckled as she pulled away to look into L's eyes. "I just can." She said softly as she smiled at L. He also smiled warmly at her.

Closing her parted lips, Nami's eyes turned serious as she stared at them. She, herself, hadn't even been able to tell which one had been which. However, she was used to Luffy acting like a complete idiot all the time. Perhaps N had just caught something in L that she could not. It also showed her just how deep of a relationship she and L shared.

Then N's brow twitched. "You've made a mess…"

L's brow also twitched, his smile turning more forced. "Aa…"

"You should clean it…" She said, her smile also forced before both started to laugh nervously.

"Okay…" L finally said as he spun around on his heel to do it.

A smile broke out onto Nami's face as she leaned into her hand, that rested on the rail with a small giggle. "Okay, so maybe we aren't all that different, even if we are. We are who we are…We are Luffy…and we are Nami…" She whispered to herself.

Her smile turned a little more malicious. "Luffy…" She called in a false, sweet voice. She almost laughed when she saw him jump. She watched as he slowly turned to her nervously.

"Yeah…?"

"You should help…" She said, her smile widening.

"A-Aa!" He replied as he quickly turned to follow after L.

"Scary…"

"Mm…"

N turned to Nami with a grin. Grinning back, Nami held up a thumb to her.

xxxx

"Are you sure about this Luffy?"

Luffy turned to Zoro. "Aa…I'm sure…" He replied before turning to L. "I think it would make Nami happy…"

"But he's a monster! I think this is a really bad idea!" Usopp exclaimed.

"Aa, I agree!" U added.

"She wanted him to have a second chance…" L said as he frowned a bit. "Even if he is a monster…Maybe…if…I dunno…"

"We gotta try…in order to make Nami happy!" Luffy vehemently exclaimed.

"I'll do whatever you ask…If you want to go, I'll take us there…" Nate said as he nodded to Luffy.

"It will be really dangerous…I'm pretty sure they've put him in a maximum prison cell by now…" L said as he frowned at Luffy.

"With all of us…We can do it…"

"Alright…then let's get going…"

"Going…? Where to?"

"Eee!" Luffy screeched as he contracted his shoulders and closed his eyes. Then he quickly turned to Nami with a nervous smile, scratching his head. "N-No where! We were just…um…"

"Going fishing!!" U supplied for him as he whipped out his rod that Usopp had made for him.

"Aa, that's right! Fishing! We thought that we'd all try and catch fish for a huge banquet for everyone tonight, Nami-swan!" Sanji said as he cupped his hands together.

Narrowing her eyes into a glare as she stared at them all, each giving her a nervous smile except for both Zoro's, she knew they were all lying. "Luffy…?" She called in a warning tone.

"Um…We…" Luffy stuttered, trying to come up with a likely excuse.

Looking around, she noticed that everyone seemed to be preparing for something. Her eyes widened as she looked back down at Luffy. "W-Were you…going to…try and…?" She started as she gaped at him.

"Try and what?" Luffy asked, trying to come up with something fast.

"You weren't going to try and break him out, were you?!" She asked.

"No! No, of course not! R-Right guys?! I mean, he was a total jerk! Why would we wanna do that?!" Luffy asked as he turned to the others, laughing nervously.

"No, no of course not, Nami-san!" Sanji exclaimed as he also laughed.

"We were just…gonna fish, like we said!" L chimed in, also laughing.

"You're all lying…Luffy…you don't have to do this…As a matter of fact, I would really rather you didn't…" She said as she frowned sadly.

"Ah?!" Luffy questioned in surprise as he gaped at her.

"It's way too dangerous…and…not worth risking your safety over…" She said softly as she lowered her gaze.

Blinking at her as he frowned softly, Luffy closed his mouth, furrowing his brows further. "But…"

"It's alright, Luffy…You don't have to do this…If it was meant to be…then it was meant to be…Thank you though…It does mean a lot to me that you were willing to do this…that all of you were."She said as she looked at them all with a bit of a sad smile. "But please…don't go…I would rather nothing happen to any of you…" She continued. Then she turned and walked off.

"Did you still want to try?" L asked.

"No…" Luffy replied quietly as he watched her walk away.

After eating a large banquet prepared for them all by both Sanji's and celebrating their having met, they now stood on deck, preparing to say their goodbyes.

"Looks like it's time for us to part, seeing as my eye and cheek have completely healed. Thanks to you, of course, Chopper." L said as he smiled down at Chopper.

"I don't need your thanks! It doesn't make me happy at all, you jerk!!" Chopper exclaimed in a happy voice as he swayed around happily.

L and his crewed laughed, L patting Chopper on the head. Then he looked up at Luffy. "I'm glad we got the opportunity to meet like this, even if it was on a horrible situation."

"Aa! I'm glad too! It was a lot of fun!" Luffy exclaimed with a massive grin.

"It's definitely something I'd never forget…" S said as he also grinned.

"Aa…that's for sure…" Z added as he gave a small smile.

L reached out a hand to Luffy, his smile spreading wider across his face. Luffy's smile also widened as he took his hand and shook it. "You should come and visit us again!"

"Aa! Of course we will, perhaps we can make it a yearly thing."

"Aa, I'd like that! Right guys!"

"Aa!" Everyone replied.

L chuckled as he then turned to Nami. "I'm really sorry about everything still…I'm just glad everything worked out."

"You don't have to keep apologizing." Nami said as she smiled at him. "Besides…" She continued as she ran a finger over his new scar, "…you didn't go without consequence either." She said as she lower her arm.

He reached up to touch it. "No, I guess I didn't…"

"I dunno. I kinda like it…" N said as she leaned against him with a smile.

He turned to her and also smiled warmly. L's crew then approached Luffy's sticking their hands out to shake. All smiling, they took their hands to shake in return.

"It's been an honor to cook with you."

"Aa, it has indeed. You make a mean Duck Tareko." Sanji replied with a grin.

"Aa, and you make a really mean Daube de Boeuf Provencal." S replied in turn.

"Thanks for sharing your cleaning kit…" Z said as he shook Zoro's hand.

"Aa, of course. Gotta take care of our swords…"

"Aa." Z agreed with a grin.

"Thanks for the fishing pole! I won't ever forget about it! When I get the time, I will have to try and make my own things." U exclaimed to Usopp excitedly.

"Aa, I love my pole as well, Usopp-san!" Coby exclaimed with a cheerful smile. "It was fun fishing with you both!" He said as he turned his smile to Chopper.

"Aa!" Chopper agreed happily.

"It was also fun to fish with you as well, Luffy-san…" Coby said as he turned to look at Luffy.

"Aa! It was! It's a lot more fun with more people!" Luffy exclaimed as he laughed.

S then turned to Zoro. "It was a pleasure."

"Aa, you're not as annoying or as much of an idiot…" Zoro said as he shook S's hand.

"What'd you say, carrot head?!" Sanji yelled as a stitch appeared above his visible brow. S only chuckled. "Che!" Sanji exclaimed as he whirled away from Zoro, turning to Z. "You're not as annoying either…" He said as he shook his hand.

Z scratched his head as he shrugged. "Shouldn't let what he says get to you…It's the whole reason he keeps doing it…S can be an idiot sometimes too, but he doesn't really let anything bother him. Even if I were to call him an incompetent moron…"

"A…what…?" S asked in a low voice as he clenched his teeth.

Z looked over at him with a bored, calm expression. "An incompetent moron…"

"I am not an incompetent moron!!" S yelled at Z, whom only plugged his ear with a finger, bored expression still on his face.

Zoro and Sanji only chuckled. "Oi, oi!" N exclaimed as she came behind both Z and S, giving them a light pop on the back of their heads. "Don't get started on me!" Then she turned to Zoro and Sanji. "Quit teaching them bad habits!"

Luffy and Nami burst out laughing. Then N turned to Luffy. "And you!!"

"Ah!" He exclaimed as he immediately halted his laughter, becoming nervous.

She walked up close to him, a frown still on her face. Then suddenly, she smiled before hugging him. "Thank you for teaching L that it was okay to have fun once in awhile…" She whispered for only him to hear.

Blinking, he gaped down at her for awhile before grinning. "No problem!" He exclaimed. She pulled back and smiled at him before turning to L, whose head was tilted curiously. Nami smiled, having heard what she'd said to Luffy. "Shishishi!"

Nami turned to Nate with a smile as L and Luffy began to talk. "Guess it's good bye until next year, huh?"

"Aa." He replied with a smile. "Thanks for everything…" He said as he lowered his head, a blush spreading across his freckled nose.

"That should be my line. You saved me so many times, risking your life and safety for mine. Thank you." She said as she smiled.

"Then I guess we're even…" He said as he smiled in return and raised a hand to shake hers.

She ignored it as she leaned down to hug him. His face erupted into a surprised blush before it softened. She pulled back to smile down at him. "I guess we are!"

Everyone waved goodbye as Nate opened a portal back to their world. Everyone went through except for Nate, L and N. They gave one last smile and wave before walking through, the door closing behind them. Everyone slowly lowered their hand, still staring at the place the doorway had been.

"I'm really gonna miss them…I had gotten used to them being around…" Usopp said.

"Aa…me too…" Chopper agreed with tears in his eyes. Then they all turned to disperse except for Luffy and Nami.

"Luffy…?"

"Hmm…?"

"Is it…Is it alright if…we…start over?"

Blinking, he turned his head to look at her. "Start over?"

"Yeah…like…try and forget what happened back at the boat…Just…start over…Pretend we never knew that we were destined to be together anyway…"

He turned to look forward again. "Nami…even before N and L came along…I had always wanted to be with you…but…I was…"

It was her turn to blink and turn to look at him. "You did…?"

"I didn't think you liked me…"

"What?!" She asked in disbelief.

"You would always get mad at me…or hit me…or…just…I dunno…I just thought…you didn't like me…When they came along…I thought that maybe there was some hope…That maybe if you saw them then…but then…everything happened…and things got out of hand…" He explained before sighing and closing his eyes. "I'm okay with starting over…Besides…if you are with my child…then…" He started as he opened his eyes, shifting them downward.

Blushing slightly she also looked away and towards the ground. "Un…"

"Are you really okay with that though…? You aren't just saying that because you could be pregnant…are you…?" He asked very quietly.

Blinking, she then felt herself smiling. "No…I'm not just saying that…I realized…because of him…just how much I really loved you Luffy…" She said, causing him to make a small noise in surprise as he turned to her. "Learning all that I did about him…it hurt so much…It was so painful. I remember crying for about thirty minutes before finally crying myself to sleep when I learned about…well…about those pirates that…" She frowned and shook her head, not being able to finish.

"I remember…just thinking of you, and oh it hurt so much…I remember…I just kept calling for you…I just…couldn't help but to imagine something like that happening to you…" She continued as tears came to her eyes. "Even so…I still…did that…and hurt you…"

"It's alright Nami…We both said and did a lot of things that shouldn't have been said or done. Let's put it behind us…and start over like you said…right?"

She nodded before turning to look at him, a smile spreading across her lips softly. "Right."

He then turned to look at her before managing a smile as well. Then she reached over, slipping her fingers into his, and then turned to look ahead of her to the horizon. His smile softened before closing his fingers around hers, and then turning to join her gaze.

xxxx

Two men stood just a few feet away. Both looking on the inside, but saw nothing in it's darkness.

"I don't see anything…"

"Me either…"

They whispered quietly to one another. "Is he really in there?"

"I don't know…"

The sound of rattling chains could suddenly be heard. Both men gasped as they took a step back from the pitch black cell. Out from the darkness, a pair of glaring eyes could suddenly be seen.

"Ee!" They screeched as they took more steps back.

Then suddenly, a wicked smirk could be seen from the darkness of the cell. They screeched again as they both turned to run from the cell. Low and maniacal chuckles followed after them.

"Man, he's really insane! How could he be laughing like that…?" One of the marines said as they walked a little ways away from the cell.

"I have no idea…I'm just glad they are going to execute that demon…"

"Me too…The nightmare will finally be over…"

**To Be Continued…?**

**Author's Note: **BAHAHAHA!! XD That's it folks! The last chapter! XD I have an epilogue planned for after this, but then after that, this story is over! I just wanna thank you all for your support throughout the entirety of this story! It turned out better than I thought it would, that's for sure. I, actually, wasn't expecting you guys to like this story. I guess it helps when you don't half ass the evil Luffy, eh? He's both super evil and bad, or he's not. It's not one or the other. It's all the way, or not at all! Haha! Okay, I'm done. I hope you all enjoyed this story as much as I've enjoyed writing it. I plan on taking about two months off from writing after I finish the epilogue. I need a break from all you demanding readers…-- I want to have a life again! I want to watch anime! I want to actually _watch_ One Piece! I want to read manga! I want to play games again! I want to see my family, damn it!! T.T Anyways, let me know what you all thought about this story! XD Look forward to the epilogue! It won't be as long as a normal chapter, but it will be longer than a drabble. Anyways, ja you guys! Thanks for everything! XD


	21. Epilogue

Crossed

**Author's Note: **Sorry, had a bit of trouble with this epilogue. There were a lot of names that I had to come up with, some I had to look for. I was also taking a bit of a break, because I was tired. I also needed help with this one. I got the help I needed, thanks to Al and heather, but then had to do the rest myself. I hope you all enjoy my epilogue! See you at the end! Please review and enjoy! XD

**WARNING: I have to warn you guys, the middle half of this epilogue is very (humorously) sexually vulgar and extremely explicit! If you are under 18, you might want to be careful about reading it! Don't say that I didn't warn …And please … take this warning seriously …--**

**Crossed**

**Epilogue**

"The Devil's Light has returned after having vanished for the length of two months. Monkey D. Luffy was said to have been in pursuit of the small time criminal Dabara, who is known for his thievery in many cases with his pirate crew 'The Thieves of Bandon', Bandon being their pirate captain. However, he and his crew suddenly disappeared. Speculations had been that Monkey D. Luffy and his crew had been captured and perhaps killed by the pirate crew in question. However, just two days ago, Monkey "The Devil's Light" Luffy, and his crew reappeared in the middle of Keibi Island, where one of the many large marine bases is located. With him was the illustrious Dabara himself, unrestrained. There are many speculations and questions about the situation as well as their whereabouts for the past two months…"

L stood in place rigidly, just listening as his Jii-chan read the article aloud to him, with his hands behind his back. Their disappearance as well as reappearance had made the headlines.

"Should I go on?"

"No, sir…"

"Start explaining boy…Where the hell have you been for the last two months, and why the hell isn't that criminal in a cell right now?!"

Sighing heavily as he closed his eyes, L then looked up at his Jii-chan and began to explain every detail of the past two months. Garp stared at him for a long while with his brow raised before finally sighing and closing his eyes after his explanation.

"I see…" He finally said after awhile. Then he suddenly shot his eyes open and lunged for L, pulling him up by the collar of his uniform.

"Gah!" L exclaimed as he grabbed at his grandfather's hands.

"You trying to make a fool of me, boy?!"

"N-No, sir! It's the truth! I promise!"

Garp stared up at him for a long while as his grandson's feet dangled a few feet above the ground. Then he slowly lowered him to the ground. "You honestly think they will let that boy stay in your crew? He's a criminal with a bounty on his head."

"It's not a very big one…"

"It's thirty four million beli!!" Garp yelled in L's face, not once letting go of his collar.

"It doesn't matter…I'll fight my claim if I have to. I made her a promise…"

Scoffing, Garp looked away then. "The other woman like the orange haired one?"

"She's not 'the orange haired one'…She's my fiancé…Her name is Nami." L reminded him with an upset frown.

"You can fight it all you like, but it's not going to be easy…"

"He cooperated at the end, and even saved her life…I may not have the proof with me, but I'm willing to bet my rank on him…"

Garp turned to him with a scowl. "Bet your rank?! On another Devil Child?!"

"Being a Devil Child doesn't matter!"

Snorting, Garp turned slightly away from him. "I know that…However, _they_ won't see it that way, Luffy…"

"It doesn't matter…I've done a lot for them…They can afford to grant me this one wish…"

"You're a Devil Child too Luffy…Or have you forgotten?"

"Never…" L replied as he furrowed his brows seriously. "But I'm The Devil's Light…right?"

Scoffing again, he released L with a bit of a shove, and then turned his back on him. Grunting, L righted himself, straightening out his clothes.

"Some may see you as The Devil's Light, Luffy…but you're still a Devil Child…and so is he…"

"Then maybe you can put a word in…"

Snorting again, he turned to look at him. "And risk my rank as well?"

L stared into his eyes intently, his expression serious. "I've made it this far…I know I can do this…I'm the first Devil Child to make captain at this age…I think I can convince them to give me custody of him…"

Staring at him just as intently, Garp finally snorted a third time as he turned his back on him again. "Do as you like…"

Bowing, L then turned to leave before stopping. "Also…I'm going to be getting married in two days. That's how long it will take for the license to go through…We're not waiting on you any longer…If you're going to be there…then be there…" He said before opening the door and leaving the office.

Sighing, Garp snorted again as he stared out of his window. Then a grin broke out onto his face. "That's my boy…"

Walking down the hall, L kept his head lowered in thought. The Devil's Light…That name had been bestowed upon him by the tabloids, and from then on, it kind of stuck. Some saw him as the light for all Devil Children…as hope. Some even saw him as a great hero. He did hope that one day he may be able to change the views of his world as far as how they see the Devil Children. They may be different from everyone else, but it didn't mean that they were evil or bad. Some may have turned out that way, but you first create the monster and then persecute it…Most of them went bad only because of what may have been done to them since they had been born differently.

It was his dream to make a difference, to change the world, to make them see that they could do good things. If he could convince the World Government to give him custody of Nate, he may be able to show this further. He just had to convince them that Nate wasn't a bad person, only misguided. He had made the promise that he'd not turn Nate in, but the truth was, it wasn't up to him, but he would try his hardest to keep that promise.

His crew, as well as Nate looked up when he exited the building. "How'd it go…?" N asked as she frowned at his expression.

"It went pretty well, considering…"

"And about Nate?" She asked.

Nate looked from N to L with a frown. Sighing, L looked down. "It won't be easy, but I will try my hardest to convince them to let him stay in my custody."

"You're risking a lot by doing this for me. Are you sure about this?" Nate asked with his frown deepening.

"Aa, I'm sure. She trusted you greatly and had been willing to fight for you, so I am willing to do the same."

Blinking at him in astonishment, Nate gaped at him before smiling and nodding. "Thank you."

"What do we do now?" Z asked as he looked at L seriously.

"Hmm…well, for now…I guess we go back to the ship…I'm sure I will be called to present my case in a few days time…" He said as he turned towards the harbor. After they'd disappeared, their ship had been brought here.

xxxx

Throwing the door open, L laughed as he carried his new bride into the suite they'd checked out. Also laughing, N held onto him tightly before looking into the room. "Wow, it's really pretty…" She said breathlessly as she looked around.

"Ooo…" L exclaimed as he also looked around the room. "Bed's nice and big…"

N turned to him with hooded eyes and a sly smile. "The bed the only thing you noticed?"

"Nope, I noticed there's a pretty big bathtub in that bathroom too…" He said as he looked over at the bathroom.

Keeping her sly smile, she then ran a finger down his chest. "Which do you want to try first?"

He looked back down at her before grinning. Walking forward, he then tossed her onto the bed. With a bit of a squeal, N bounced on the bed, the comforter fluffing all around her, before laughing as he crawled in after her. He crawled in slowly, a lucid smiling playing on his lips. Biting her lip with a smile, she just watched his slow approach. Finally making it to her, he loomed over her as he pressed her shoulders firmly down into the bed as he gazed into her eyes. However, soon they shifted down, really starting to notice his wife's body as well.

"Mmm, damn …"

Blushing faintly, she smiled wider up at him. "Like what you see?"

"I will as soon as I get that dress off you." He said, reaching up to turn her onto her stomach, and then he began to undo the buttons and zippers slowly.

Latching onto her bottom lip again, she couldn't help but to smile wider as she allowed him to remove her dress.

He moaned softly at the sight of her corset before he quickened, wanting to see the rest of her. "Damn, girl, you look so good."

Biting down harder, her smile turned into a grin as her cheeks flushed harder. "You really think so?"

"Hell yes." Flushing, he reached down, and squeezed her ass cheeks through her lacey under things when the dress was a crumpled pile on the floor behind them. "Ooh, I can't wait to fill you up."

Gasping in some surprise from being squeezed, her entire face flushed while her eyes widened as she felt her arousal growing. "Oh ...!"

Groaning, he cupped her womanhood from the front, and said into her ear, "You want that, don't you? Slut, you want my fat cock cramming your pussy."

Blinking in shock, she widened her eyes a little more as she turned towards him, but not looking at him. "What?"

He blinked before his cheeks tinged a bit pink realizing what he was saying. "Ah ... I mean, Nami."

She turned over to look at him with a quirked brow. She stared at him for a long while before smiling. "Oh I see ..." Then she sat up, leaning towards him with her arms squeezing her breasts tightly together. They pushed against her bra, threatening to spill out. "You like that, do you?"

His eyes widened before he started to grin roguishly. "Oh, baby, fuck yeah, I do." He said as he grabbed the back of her thighs, spreading her legs, and then settled in between them.

Gasping in some surprise, she then grinned back with a giggle as she wrapped her arms around him, feeling even more aroused. Then she bit her lower lip again as she leaned up to his ear. "Keep talking dirty to me, daddy ..." She whispered as she licked his ear.

Groaning, he shoved her onto her back, and kissed her hungrily, sucking and biting at her lips and tongue. He squeezed the back of her thighs while grinding up against her through all the cloth between her core and his growing member.

Moaning against his lips, she kissed him back with her growing need as she rubbed back against him. She had dreamed of this moment for a really long time. She wanted to feel him in her so bad that it hurt. "Luffy ..."

"Ooh, yes, you want me to break your tight cunt in, huh?"

His mouth went down her neck, sucking and chewing down to her busty bosom before sinking his teeth into the top of her breast.

"Aah!" She cried out with a moan as she arched against him and leaned her head back. "Yes, please ..."

Grinning wider, he yanked down her corset, watching her breasts jiggle with a moan. "Maybe, I should fuck those pretty titties first."

Flushing brightly, she looked up at him with desire oozing from her eyes. "Ooh, Luffy ..." She cooed breathlessly. His words were succeeding in turning her on more and more.

His breath came in a bit shallower, leaning over her to press their foreheads together, "Then I'll fill your pussy with so much _cum_ ..."

Groaning, she then began to roam her hands up his arms that were still clothed as she stared into his eyes. She then yanked on his suit jacket. "Luffy, please ... Take them off. I want to feel you ..."

Moaning, he reached back to toss off his jacket, and loosened his little bowtie before he pulled at his undershirt. "You're gonna be so tight, bitch ..."

She bit her lip again as she smiled wide up at him. "Then I guess that means you'll fit nice and snug in me. Hurry up and get them off so I can see this fat cock you spoke of."

Chuckling low in his throat, he finally tossed his shirt back before his eyes darkened, pushing her back down. "You want to see it up close, slut? Then I can shove it in your cheeks."

"Mmm ..." She moaned as her eyes hooded. "I'd love to get a taste ..." She whispered with heated cheeks as her lips parted for him.

Grinning, he shifted so that he was sitting above her head, and he pulled up on her legs so that she was up on her head, "Well, get 'em down. I'll eat your pussy."

Laughing low in her throat, she reached up and began to unbutton and unzip his pants. Then she tried her best to get them down, despite her awkward position. He bent down to lick at her pussy through her panties, and then bit at them, pulling them aside to lap at her hot lips. "Uhm."

"Aah!" She cried in complete surprise and shuddered hard. With shaky hands, she pulled his pants down as far as she could get it, gaping at his engorged member. "Oh...!" She exclaimed with a deep flush of her cheeks before biting her lips. Reaching out, she grabbed a hold of it, trying to concentrate, considering the great amount of pleasure she was receiving. Then she leaned her head back, taking it into her mouth. "Mmm...!"

Grunting, L almost bit down on her before moaning and pulling her lacy panties back further to slide his tongue into her wet and warm caverns. Clamping her mouth over him, she then began to suck on him, moving him in and out of her mouth. Both moaned against the other at the pleasure each was causing each other.

"Mmm …!"

"Ngh … That's right, slut! Suck it! Suck it!"

Crying out over him, she grabbed a hold of his base, that didn't fit into her mouth, and began to pump it in the same pace as she sucked. "Hmm!"

"I'll shoot a load right into your hot mouth!"

Moaning loudly to his words in between what he did to her, she thought she would die from the extreme pleasure. She never would have thought this vulgar speech would have sent her this far into ecstasy. She cried in her orgasm, her juices spilling around his mouth. However, she never released his manhood, continuing to pump and suck him. Groaning, he squeezed her ass cheeks hard, the reverberation of her moan, sending him over the edge. He pulled back, crying out slightly as he shot into her mouth.

"Fuck … Oh, baby, your mouth was so hot …"

Grinning, she swallowed it and then looked up at him. "Did that feel good?"

"Fuck yeah …"

Crawling over her, he then turned, removed his pants completely with his shoes and socks before removing hers as well as her stockings and then her panties. Her cheeks flushed as she looked down at him as well as being fully exposed.

"Damn …" He breathed as he roamed his eyes over her entire nude body. "I'm gonna fuck you dry, bitch …"

This caused her to grin again as she laughed deep in her throat. "Then let's get started … I want your fat cock to fill me up."

He only grinned and shook his head. "Not yet. I'll have you begging for it like a bitch in heat."

"Mmm … But I already want you …" She said with a groan as she began to run her hands down his pecs and abs.

Chuckling, he leaned down and began to lick her ear, all the way down to her neck. Shuddering, she moaned as she ran her hands back up his stomach and chest. "Luffy …"

"I'm gonna ride you so hard …" He whispered into her ear as he then began to lick down her throat.

"Yes …" She said breathlessly as she closed her eyes.

"I'll fuck you like the bitch you are … and if that doesn't get you off, I'll treat you like a prison bitch, on your hands and knees …" He said in a low voice as he looked up into her eyes with hooded ones.

Gasping, she groaned as her eyes hooded a long with his. "Luffy, please …"

"You want me, whore?"

"Yes … Oh, Luffy, yes!" She cried breathless as she began to pant heavily.

"You want my dick tearing into your pussy?" He asked as he began to kiss down her chest, never removing his eyes from hers.

"Yes, please!"

"You want all of me?" He asked as he licked over her nipple slowly.

"Nngh …! Yes!" She cried as she arched into his mouth.

He then slowly began to grin as he took her nipple into his mouth, sucking leisurely. "Mmm …" He hummed as he pulled up with a soft pop. "You want me to fill you up completely, baby?"

"Yes! Yes!"

Leaning down, he licked around her belly button before slowly running his tongue all the way up the middle, in between her breasts and up her throat. Then he looked at her with a lazy smirk. "Beg for it, bitch …"

"Oh …! Just fuck me already Luffy, you son of a bitch!" She screamed as she grabbed his hair and pulled him up to kiss him hungrily.

Growling with a grin against her lips, he then chuckled deep in his throat as he reached down and clutched at her hips. He pulled her to him, thrusting his tongue into her mouth. Gasping, she groaned loudly when she felt his manhood against her core. "Mmm …!"

He finally pressed his tip into her small opening, his eyes rolling shut at the pleasure of the heat he could already feel. "Fuck … So fucking hot … I can't wait to tear you up inside with … my fat cock …"

He then began to push in with a groan. Gasping, N's eyes flew open wide from the slight pain. "Aah!" She cried as she clutched at the sheets.

Pressing in slowly, he finally made it all the way up to the hilt. Panting, N shut her eyes to the tears that threatened to spill over. Thankfully, her having been so turned on, she was slippery enough for the pain to not be so wrenching.

"So … So tight …Ngh …!"

"Haah …!" She breathed as she finally opened her eyes to look up at him.

Opening his eyes as well, he looked down into hers with eyes full of the desire he felt for her. Leaning down, he pressed his forehead onto hers, continuing to stare down into her eyes. It was taking all of his willpower not to move and to give her time for her pain to subside.

"L-Luffy …" She breathed as she reached up and cupped his face. "I love you so much …"

His eyes softened as he leaned down to softly kiss her. Reaching up, she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him further onto her. Both inhaled sharply when her breasts pressed against his bare chest. Spreading her legs further, she then arched into him, the pain having faded. Grunting, L's hips jerked in surprise from the sensation of her moving before he groaned loudly, slowly beginning to pull out and push back in her. Moaning, she arched her hips up further to greet him, digging her heels into the bed for support.

"Oh yeah … This feels … so fuckin' great …" He said in a strained voice as he began to slowly move in and out of her, just to get the feel of her.

She smiled luxuriously from the 'great' feeling she was receiving as well. "Mm … fucking being the operative word …"

His eyes seemed to glaze from her words and hood further as he released a moan. Then he slowly grinned. "Fucking you feels great, Nami …"

She bit her smiling lip as she leaned her head back with a throaty moan. "I'd like to hope so …"

Chuckling a bit, he then began to pick up the pace with a moan of pleasure. "I'll ram my cock so far up your pussy that I'll have you screaming …"

"Oh yes! Luffy!" She cried as she arched into him further, further intoxicated by the faster pace. "Aah …!"

Groaning, he then began to kiss down her chest and over her breasts, licking her nipples before sucking on one. He reached down and clutched her hips tightly as he then picked up the pace, slamming into her willing heat.

"Aah … Haah!" She cried as she clutched at his hair, leaning her head back further. She panted loudly from the fast pace, wrapping her legs around his waist as she moaned and cried out from the exquisite pleasure.

"Aah, fuck yeah!" He exclaimed as he also began to pant heavily, sweat forming onto his body.

"Luffy! Yes! Oh, yes!" She screamed as she arched her hips to meet his hard thrusts. "Aah!" She screamed in ecstasy as her orgasm exploded luxuriously.

Grunting, he slammed into her a few more times before releasing his seed into her wet core this time. "Ngh … Mmm …!"

Panting, she relaxed as she stared up at the ceiling with glazed eyes, still feeling her desire. Then she slowly lowered her head to look at him. He was also panting heavily as he rested between her breasts. He looked up at her and slowly grinned. She smiled in return as she softly combed her fingers through his damp hair. She had told Nami that their first time was supposed to be beautiful. This had been far from beautiful, but felt _great_! Who needed beautiful when she had the man she loved in her arms and was quite, more than quite, pleased with their first coupling?

His grin turned more mischievous as he leaned up a bit more. "I want to be your stallion, baby. Get on top and ride me …"

Giggling deep in her throat, she reached out a hand, in which he took and pulled her into a sitting position as he moved off from her. She placed her palms on his chest, pushing him down into the bed. "I'm gonna ride you hard … Think you can handle it, my stallion?"

"Aah, fuck yea, bitch … I can handle any rough ride …" He said before pulling her down to him. Then he grinned as he whispered into her ear, "Ride me …"

Sighing and shuddering pleasurably, she then sat up with rosy, parted lips as her desire grew further. "Mm, with pleasure … my stallion …" She purred as she sat up a bit and then lowered herself onto his still hard manhood.

"Mm … That's right, you whore … Ride me …"

Moaning and closing her eyes from how wonderful he felt inside of her, she then began to move up and down over him slowly at first before picking up the pace. "Aah!"

"Mm … Let's see those pretty titties bounce …" He said in a husky voice as he reached up to clutch at one. Then he began to grind his hips up into her as she moved over him, gradually picking up the pace with a moan.

"Oh …! This feels so good!" She cried as she leaned her head back, beginning to move over him quickly.

Keeping his eyes on her breasts, his eyes hooded heavily as he panted. "Bounce, bitch!"

Still sensitive from her previous two orgasms, she came quickly with a scream. "Luffy!"

"Ah …!" He exclaimed as his hips jumped up, sending his seed into her again.

Panting heavily and extremely tired, she fell over him, both slippery from sweat. "Mmm …" She hummed luxuriously with a smile. "Luffy … that was wonderful … I love you so much …"

Chuckling, he wrapped his arms around her as he pulled her off from him and to the side to lay her beside him. He kissed her forehead, holding her close. "I love you too, Nami …"

"Luffy …?"

"Hmm …?"

"Where did you learn to talk like that …?"

" … "

Grinning as she bit her lower lip, she leaned her head back to look up into his face. He was blinking up at the ceiling with a blush. He shifted his eyes down to her quickly. Giggling, she sat up, leaning her breasts against the side of his chest. "I liked it …"

"Did you …?"

"Mm …" She hummed with a nod as she began to place kisses on his chest.

"There was this guy I was stationed with who would never shut up … I actually used to hate it … but … when I met you … I remember thinking … Okay, I thought about a lot of things …" He started to say with a deeper blush.

Giggling again, she lifted her head to smile at him. "Oh? What kind of things?"

"I just remember thinking you were the most beautiful woman I had ever seen … When I got to know you, I thought, you were the most beautiful person I'd ever met … but … a lot of what he told me came to mind and … I don't know …" He said as he shifted his eyes away from her in embarrassment.

She leaned down and kissed him slowly. "I really liked it … It was a really big turn on … I can see why you would want to do it …" She said as she continued to kiss him.

Then she began to scratch just behind his ear, in which he melted against her. "Mmm …"

"Ah, you really like this … don't you, Kitten …?" She whispered into the same ear.

"Mmm …" He almost purred as he nuzzled her voluptuous bosom.

She leaned up as she smiled at him. "You know … I could really use a bath now. How about we make use of that really big tub now?"

Grinning as well, he sat up, lifting her into his arms with ease. She squealed into laughter as she wrapped her arms around him. "I love you!"

xxxx

"You do realize the risk of taking in this criminal under your command. If he were to flee, it would be your job as well as the jobs of your crew."

"Yes, I'm well aware of that. However, I trust him and feel he would not flee. Otherwise, he'd have done so by now. He waits in the lobby with the others as we speak. He has already told me that he is willing to take any sentence or punishment given to him for his crimes. I also realize that if I lose my position, that the others would follow suit. That is their decision to make. I would not regret my decision."

"Then you also realize that the world is on a very fragile line as far as their views on Devil Children … Some may see you as 'The Devil's Light', however, if you take another Devil Child into your crew besides yourself, it could cause great speculation among the people."

Sighing, L shifted his eyes downward. He had thought of this. "Yes, I am also aware of this, sir. It may take time, but I will prove to the world that not all Devil Children mean them harm. I do not mean anyone harm. Nate had fought to protect someone who did not have an ability and had even been willing to sacrifice his life for them, even if he had not known the person all that well. I do not feel that this is someone who means anyone harm."

The man in front of him narrowed his eyes slightly before leaning to the side to speak quietly to his companions. A few nodded, and a few shook their heads as they conversed. L clenched his hands tightly together as he held them behind his back. '_Please agree …_'

After awhile, they parted and the man to the left of the first man, who spoke, spoke up. "It's hard to agree to this when this man had selfishly stolen from others not but three months ago. Yet you say he's changed for the better in such a short time, selflessly risking his life for another. That hardly sounds plausible."

Grinding his teeth, L took a deep, calming breath. "I assure it, it's plausible and possible. I've spent time with him before this hearing, and his attitude is far different then when I first met him. I did wonder myself if it had been an act. However, with his ability, he would not need to lie to me. He could flee and become irretrievable at any time. I honestly believe that he wishes to continue this ascent to better himself."

They leaned in again, speaking quietly among themselves once again. It took all of L's willpower not to fidget in his spot as he waited for them to speak again. After awhile, they pulled away from one another again. "I honestly don't think this sentence is fair, especially for a Devil Child. He stole from many and yet he's only let off with such a small punishment? Community service is hardly equitable. Others did not get off so lightly. What makes you think this man deserves differently?"

"Being a Devil Child has no premise here …"

"Being a Devil Child has _everything_ to do with it!" One of the other men exclaimed.

Lifting his chin and taking a heavy breath, L clutched his hands tighter as he clenched his jaw just as tightly. He stared just behind them, not wanting to meet their eyes.

"You forget your place! You were only allowed here because of your grandfather! A Devil Child, is a Devil Child! You may have done some good, but who's to say how long that will last?!"

Swallowing hard, he took deep shaky breaths to control his anger. "I have no intention of changing who I am … It's my dream to make the world see us differently … We are no different aside from our abilities. Some may have turned out bad, but it's because of how we are treated … If we were treated the same as a normal person, this problem may not be as prominent … It's true that some allow the power they were born with to cause them to become power hungry and tyrants … but I can assure you not all feel this way. I will find those who aren't like this, and persecute those who would reflect upon us so badly … I honestly believe that Nate is not of this crowd who reflect badly. It's true he may have been misguided, but he is on the right path now."

"Would your opinion of this criminal be any different had he not been a Devil Child as well?"

"No, no sir it would not." He replied immediately to the man left of the man in the middle. "Being a Devil Child …" He started before swallowing and shaking his head. "I view no one differently … We are who we are - people of this world … I do not view him any differently, than any man I have in my crew. They are all important to me and irreplaceable. Nate has proven to me that he is a good man … I only wish to allow this to blossom. I feel that he could contribute greatly to the marines …"

All the men narrowed their eyes at him before leaning in to converse among themselves once again. Sighing and shifting his eyes to the ground below him, L drooped only slightly as he closed his eyes to calm himself. He was becoming worried that this would not turn out as well as he'd first hoped. It seemed they've already had it in their minds to disagree and sentence Nate to prison time. If it were Luffy, he'd have punched the man and have said, to hell with it and be damned of the consequence. However, he, himself, did not have that luxury.

In all honesty, he was surprised they'd even allowed him to come before them in a hearing. However, he had a feeling that there was a possibility that someone somewhere was trying to be as fair as possibly. He only hoped he could shine through this and get Nate into his crew. After about ten minutes, the men finally parted and faced him again. None seemed inclined to speak right away as they all looked him over. He stood rigidly straight as he regarded them in return.

A man he'd yet to hear speak leaned forward with a sigh. "Monkey D. Luffy … We understand what you are trying to accomplish and how important it is for you to change the views of this world …" He started.

Swallowing hard, L slowly closed his eyes, knowing exactly what word was coming next. "However …" He slowly opened them again. "We do not feel that allowing this criminal into your care is sufficient punishment for his crimes."

Swallowing again, his eyes drooped in disappointment as he lowered his gaze to the ground. "If we were to allow this … there would be an uprising of severity … Because of the majority of this worlds views on the Devil's Children, many would question the punishments given to others who were not of this adverse condition."

At hearing those words, L's eye twitched slightly. Being a Devil Child was not adverse. He had made her a promise and failed. Suddenly, the doors burst open behind him. Jumping slightly, L quickly turned to the doors. His grandfather towered just in the doorway, his chest straight out and eyes piercing.

"Vice Admiral Garp. What brings you here?"

"I heard my grandson was to meet here for a hearing. The odds unfortunately against him …"

"What he asks is merely impossible."

"Impossible, you say? So then more is to be given to the boy for his crimes?"

"Indeed. His crimes are of no meager injustice. Stealing from others is punishable, no matter if he has an ability or not, for ten or more years in prison."

"That's understandable, and I completely agree. Hard labor works just as well …"

"Hard labor? What are you suggesting?"

"Give me the boy … He will work very hard under me for a year. I will show him no slack, and he shall receive little rest. I would assume that prisoners would not have to work so hard in over five years that I will bestow upon this boy. He will endure much and undergo fierce training in the ways of the marines. If he is willing to do this without question, then I feel that my grandson is right to assume he is changing for the better. After this, I believe my grandson can take over his care from then on. I don't think he would go easy on him either."

All of the men regarded Garp with frowns before turning to one another to debate over this new proposition. Keeping his eyes on the others, L took a deep breath before speaking. "Thank you … I know you are also risking much by suggesting this …" He said only quietly enough for his grandfather to hear.

"Don't thank me yet … If that boy let's me down … you will take his place …"

Giving a slight smile and a bit of a breathy laugh, L then nodded. "I understand …"

"We have considered your request, Garp … You will confirm that this work will be diligent?"

"Painfully so …"

"If the criminal is willing to endure this for a year … we will then consider Captain Luffy's request to allow him custody at that time."

"Thank you …" L said as he bowed to them.

"We will only consider it, Captain … It is not an affirmative yet."

"I understand … and all the same I thank you." L said as he straightened and regarded them seriously.

Nodding, all men stood and left the room. With a sigh of relief, he then turned to his grandfather. "Thank you …"

"Don't thank me yet boy …" Garp said as he turned, his coat flowing behind him and strode from the room.

Smiling, L then left the room as well to make his way to his crew. At spotting him, all stood to greet him in anticipation. However, Nami looked at him in concern by his frown. However, she looked around, noticing that he was indeed alone.

"What did they say?" She asked.

Sighing, he shifted his gaze downward before turning to Nate. "Unfortunately, they did not give me custody of you …" He said quietly.

"Eh?! Are you serious?!" U yelled ardently with a frown.

"Aa …"

"Oh no …" Nami breathed as she placed a hand over her mouth, turning to Nate.

Nate only frowned a bit sadly before taking a deep breath. "It's alright … Thank you for trying. I really appreciate it. I did say I would take any punishment."

"A punishment was given, but it won't be prison."

"Eh?!" His crew exclaimed.

"Luffy, what are you talking about?!"

"My grandfather asked for custody of him instead, and it's been granted."

"What?! Your grandfather?!" Nami exclaimed in confusion.

"Aa, he will be working under him for a year before custody to me will be considered …"

"A-A year?" Coby asked as he stared at L in some bewilderment.

"Aa … However, it won't be easy … It will be much harder than if you were to go to prison … He will be very hard on you, and at times you may wish you'd been sentenced prison time instead … However, they said if you can endure a year with him, then they would consider my claim for custody …"

Swallowing hard, Nate shifted his gaze down before looking back up at L. "I'll do it … I want to prove to them who I am … and what I feel. It doesn't matter of it's a year or two … I want to do this … I understand how hard it will be, but maybe it's better that way."

Smiling, L nodded as he placed a hand on Nate's shoulder. "Aa, I'm glad you feel that way. Then I guess we will see you in a year's time. We will be back here then."

Nodding and smiling as well, Nate then bowed to L. "Thank you. I will look forward to it then."

"Boy!"

Straightening quickly, Nate as well as everyone else turned to the booming voice. "Ah …"

"Let's go … We've work to do … We've a whole year to get acquainted …"

"That's my grandfather. Good luck, Nate …" L said as he smiled at him.

Turning back to him, he reached out a hand. Grinning, L took it and shook it amiably before turning to his grandfather.

"Let's go boy! I've not got all day!"

"Yes, sir!" Nate called as he turned and ran to Garp.

Garp turned, slapping Nate hard on his back. "Stand up straight! Shoulders out! I'll not have you slouching around me boy!"

"Yes, sir!" Nate replied as they walked away from everyone.

"That was very nice of your grandfather. He risks much as well for doing this."

L smiled before shaking his head to N's words. "My grandfather wouldn't have done this had he not believed in me or Nate. I think he knows that Nate will turn out well. I think he just wanted to make sure he turns out exceptionally well."

N smiled as well as she turned to him. "Un, you're right."

Then he turned to his crew. "Shall we? Duty calls."

"Aye, sir!" They all called before grinning and following him out.

Chuckling, L grinned as he looked ahead of him. It's not a perfect promise, but hopefully he will eventually fulfill it. He saw why Nami had been willing to fight him for Nate. He was a good person. He only hoped they allowed him to join his crew once the year was up. It was all up to Nate, really, but he had no doubts he would come out on top.

"See you in a year, Nate …"

**The End …**

**Author's Note: **Uwah! HAHAHAHA! XD I'm sorry … but I laughed so hard while writing that lemon … Just … Just imagining him … Oh gawd!! XD SO FUNNY!! I am not a dirty talker … So I actually had to get Al and heather to help me with that … Thanks so much you guys! I couldn't have done that without you guys! XD It was expressed that his dirty mouth during the fight was funny, but how much more funny it would be during sex! XD So, I had to do it … I hope you all didn't mind … Who am I kidding? You perverts probably loved it … XO Anyways! Let me know what you guys thought of my epilogue! XD Ja!

**P.S.** Damn … It ended up as long as a chapter! What's up with that?! XO

**P.S.S. **By the way, Keibi Island is the same island from Denial! XD

**P.S.S.S. **I just want to let you guys know, I've posted the first chapter to the sequel for this story on AFFnet. The title is mentioned twice in the last paragraph of chapter 20! XP


	22. Author's Note

**Author's Note**

**Author's Note: **I just wanted to let you guys know that I've rewritten some scenes in Crossed. I've rewritten towards the end in chapter 1, some in chapter 2, 6 and 7. I had put some thought into the story more after some reviews … and thought that the step taken in chapter 1 that I've changed was for the better, and was more of a Luffy thing to do. I also think it all makes more sense now. I hope you all like it better. I know you kinda can't review and let me know what you thought of the changes, and that's okay! Well … actually, I guess you can through this A/N … but I don't care either way … I'm just glad to know you guys enjoyed my story! I'm having a bit of writers block with chapter 2, plus, life has been busier than normal … I will try my best to get that chapter out … If anyone cares … Oh, yeah, I guess I should also mention for those who don't know, that I've released chapter 1 of the sequel to Crossed on Adult Fanfiction. Hope you all like it … and … it's alright to submit a review there … The sequel's title is From The Darkness.


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